As The World Falls Down (Breakfast Club FanFic)
by Stardust1974
Summary: We all know what happened that fateful day in Illinois, but what happens when John meets someone new? And will things last passed detention? Mostly Romance and humor but some drama as well. One OC as one of John Bender's love interests. My first fanfic published online, please be kind and enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

**Notes: I do not own any characters from the Breakfast Club or From the Hip, obviously. Feedback is greatly appreciated. I am suffering from writer's block for my original stories and wanted to play around a bit with some ideas to get back into the swing of things. I hope you enjoy.**

 **Chapter One:**

Friday morning was already a stressful morning for me. I had spent the whole week studying for my biology test and although I knew everything I was a horrible test taker. My stomach rolled with nausea. I did not want an F on a test to blotch my perfect grades.

I ruffled my raven black hair as I stomped down the halls to my locker. I could do this...I could do this...

Suddenly, I heard a group of girls roar with laughter. When I looked to the source of the noise I noticed that the popular girls were roasting their latest victim; an over achieving looking freshman girl who was now in tears. My blood began to boil. Didn't they have anything better to do?

"Hey!" I barked dominantly.

"What do you want, Satan child?" the blondest bimbo snapped. I straightened my shoulders and walked over to her, never breaking eye contact.

"I want you to back the hell off and leave her alone, oh virtuous imbecile."

Her eyebrows rose. Clearly I had used too many big words on the poor thing. She soon shook it off and settled back into her snippy attitude.

"Are you going to make me?"

Was I? I've personally dealt with their harassment since freshman year myself and all it took was one good ass kicking to keep them at bay. though, it seemed like their memories needed to be refreshed.

"Well, loser?" she snapped me out of my thoughts as her group giggled. And then I lost it.

Void of thought, I leaned back just slightly and forced my head forward. Our foreheads collided and she let out a loud shriek as the back of her head bounced off of the locker behind her. I groaned and placed my hand on my forehead. Whatever information I had retained for my biology test had definitely gotten knocked out of my brain now. Fuck my life.

"HEY!" a male voice boomed from down the hall. I recognized him immediately, but I couldn't get away fast enough.

"What is going on here?" vice principal Vernon, who was as handsome as he was intimidating, pointed his finger at me, wanting answers.

"I...I..."

"She attacked Miranda, Mr. Vernon!" a lesser blonde ratted me out before I could speak.

"She was-" I tried to explain that they were bullying the freshman, who had since vanished, but he wasn't having it.

"Enough! You, take her to the nurse. And you!" he pointed his finger back at me, "Detention! This Saturday. Seven AM _sharp_."

"But I-"

"Seven AM sharp!" he repeated sternly before stomping away.

Defeated, I dropped my arms to my sides. The bell for class rang and I stood there frozen in place as the other students emptied from the halls. My dad was going to kill me.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two:**

At 6:59 the next morning I raced out of my friend Brit's car and into the school. I hadn't told my dad about the detention and had slept over at Brit's house the night before so she could drop me off in secret. It wasn't unusual for me to spend the weekend at her house and we already had a backup plan in case my parents called. Now I just had to get to the library and serve my time.

When I reached the library, Vernon had already started talking. Great, I was late.

"It is now seven-o-six." he barked at the kids who were already there, "You have exactly eight hours and fifty four minutes to think about why you're here. To ponder your ways..."

I stood quietly behind him and waited for him to finish talking. As he spoke, I glanced around the room to see who I would be spending the day with. There was Claire, a pretty red-headed princess, and Andrew, the good-looking star of the wrestling team, sitting at the front table. My acquaintance, the socially awkward Brian, was sitting two rows back and to the right. Allison was seated behind him, her dark hair covering her pretty face. I didn't know her too well, but we had an art class together and she seemed alright. Last but not least, seated behind Claire and Andrew, was John Bender himself. The criminal was dressed in a flannel, a jean jacket, baggy pants and boots today, not far off from his usual look. His mug looked menacing but it softened when he saw me.

"What about her?" he pointed to me and Mr. Vernon spun around.

"Miss Jordison!" his voice made me jump.

"I'm so sorry I'm late! I-"

"Take a seat!" he snapped. Great Gods, was I ever going to get a word in edge wise with this guy?

Brian motioned to me and I scurried into the seat next to him. Bender stared me down as Vernon began to talk again.

"Alright people, we're going to try something different today. We're going to write an essay-of no less than a thousand words-describing to me who you think you are."

Bender took his eyes off of me to look at Vernon.

"Is this a test?" he asked. Vernon ignored him and started to pass out pencils and paper.

"And when I say essay, I mean essay. I do not mean a single word repeated a thousand times. Is that clear, Mr. Bender?"

"Crystal." John mumbled, clearly bored.

"Good. Maybe you'll learn a little something about yourself. Maybe you'll even decide whether or not you care to return."

Brian raised his hand and stood before I could grab him. I groaned to myself, this was going to be embarrassing.

"You know, I can answer that right now sir... that'd be a no. No for me, cause-"

"Sit down Johnson." Vernon snapped again. This guy just loved to interrupt people.

"Thank you sir." Brian mumbled and sat down. We both blushed in embarrassment. I felt bad for him and I could tell Bender was looking our way again. Vernon pointed to the door.

"My office is right across that hall. Any monkey business is ill-advised. Any questions?"

Vernon had barely finished his sentence before Bender had his mouth open again.

"Yeah! I got a question. Does Barry Manilow know you raid his wardrobe?"

The kids started to snicker. I sighed. Real original. This was going to be a long day.

"I'll give you the answer to that question, Mr. Bender, next Saturday. Don't mess with the bull young man, you'll get the horns." and with that, Vernon left.

Not a moment later John was at it again.

"That man, is a brownie hound."

That one got a laugh out of me and he looked over at me and smiled. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

We all shuffled around in our seats a bit to get comfortable. I rested my head on my hand and stared at the blank piece of paper in front of me. First the biology test and now I had to write an essay on my day off. This was ridiculous.

Suddenly, a loud snapping sound began to echo through the library. I cringed as Brian turned around. I followed suit and saw that it was Allison biting her nails. Soon, everyone was watching her. She looked back at us innocently.

"You keep eating your hand and you're not going to have any room for lunch." John stated, wide eyed.

Allison spit a part of her nail at him, disgusted, but missed.

"I've seen you before you know." John mumbled.

"Just leave her alone." I sighed, "We're all bored."

"Is that so?" his eyes locked with mine.

"Sure is." I yawned and turned away from him, his eyes burning holes in the side of my head.

It was silent for a moment before Brian began to mumble to himself.

"Who do I think I am? Who are you? Who are you..."

I watched him attach his pen to his bottom lip and almost shove the cap up his nose.

"I'm a walrus." he smiled and I chuckled.

We turned and saw that Bender was watching us, a look of complete confusion plastered on his face. Brian quickly pulled the pen out of his mouth and laughed in embarrassment. I patted his shoulder.

Brian began to take off his jacket at the same time that Bender began to. The two stared at each other and Brian pretended to be cold so he could put his jacket back on. He rubbed his hands together as Bender took his jacket all the way off, never breaking eye contact.

"It's the shits, huh?" Brian asked Bender as he just glared back at him.

"Are just let him take his coat off, it's hot in here!" I groaned.

"Well aren't you feisty today?" John turned his glare to me as Brian let out a nervous laugh and took his coat off.

"You should have seen what I did to get in here." I scoffed.

"What did you do?" his glare softened into curiosity.

"It's personal business."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" John clicked his tongue at me.

"It means it's personal and it's none of your business." I brushed him off and turned back to my paper.

"Uh huh..." he mumbled, defeated, and turned his attention to Claire and Andrew.

He crumpled up his piece of paper and tossed it. It flew over Claire's head and she and Andrew exchanged a glance before they went back to ignoring him. Bender started to sing a guitar riff from a song and Claire rolled her eyes, annoyed.

"I can't believe this is really happening to me." she said more to herself than us. Bender stopped abruptly.

"Oh shit! What are we supposed to do if we have to take a piss?" he tried to look genuinely concerned.

"Please..." Claire scowled.

Bender shrugged and unzipped his fly before leaning forward in his chair.

"If you gotta go you gotta go!"

Everyone looked at him, looks of shock and disgust heavy on our faces.

"Oh my God!" Claire shrieked.

"Hey, you're not urinating in here man!" Andrew barked.

"Don't talk! Don't talk! It makes it crawl back up!"

"Knock it off!" I gagged.

"You whip it out and you're dead before the first drop hits the floor!" Andrew barked again. Bender growled at him mockingly as he zipped up his fly.

"You're pretty sexy when you get angry." he growled again and turned to Brian before Andrew could say anything else, "Hey homeboy, why don't you close that door? We'll get the prom queen impregnated!"

Brian's cheeks flushed red and I rolled my eyes before Claire turned to glare at John.

"Hey!" Andrew shouted and John brushed him off but he wasn't backing down this time, "Hey!"

"What?" Bender turned his way.

"If I lose my temper, you're totaled man!" Andrew warned.

"Totally?"

"Totally!"

"Why don't you just shut up? No one here is interested!" Claire joined in.

Bender looked my way thoughtfully before Andrew started on him again.

"Butt face." he mumbled. John snapped back to him real quick.

"Well hey sporto! What'd you do to get in here? Forget to wash your jock?"

Brian coughed, clearly uncomfortable, and tried to defuse the situation.

"Uh, excuse me, fellas? I think we should just write our papers..."

But the boys weren't having it.

"Look, just because you live in here doesn't give you the right to be a pain in the ass. So knock it off!" Andrew started again. Bender pretended to look sad.

"It's a free country."

"He's just doing it to get a rise out of you!" Claire hushed Andrew, "Just ignore him."

"Sweets." John said sternly, "You couldn't ignore me if you tried."

Claire gave him one last eye roll before turning around and the room went quiet again. But it didn't take Bender long to become bored once more.

"So...so!" he looked at Andrew and Claire, "Are you guys like boyfriend/girlfriend?"

No answer.

"Steady dates?"

No answer.

"Lo-vers?"

They ignored him still, but he was determined to strike a nerve.

"Come on sporto, level with me. Do you slip her the hot beef injection?" he smirked, that got them.

"Go to hell!" Claire screamed.

"Enough!" Andrew shouted.

Bender laughed and turned to Brian and I.

"What about you two? are you guys bumping uglies?"

Before Brian could put his foot in his mouth and subject himself to more punishment I placed my hand on his and smirked back at John.

"Of course! I can't resist this little sweet heart! You jealous?"

John's eyes widened before he spoke.

"Little bit." he nodded, "Little bit."

"HEY! WHAT'S GOING ON IN THERE?" Vernon suddenly shouted.

We all looked down at our hands and quieted instantly, but when I looked up to sneak a peek at Bender I saw that he was already sneaking a peek at me. I looked away quickly as my face beamed red. I just wanted this day to be over already.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you to the unnamed guest for the good review. I got back up and writing for you. I hope you enjoy.**

 **Chapter 3**

When he was sure Vernon wasn't going to pay us another visit, Bender stood up and walked over to the railing, plopping down on the top rung.

"What do you say we close that door? We can't have any kind of party with Vernon checking us out every few seconds."

"Well, you know, the door's supposed to stay open..." Brian mumbled.

"So?"

"So why don't you just shut up?" Andrew snapped, "There's five other people in here you know."

"God, you can count. See! I knew you had to be smart to be a wrestler!" John mocked him.

"Who the hell are you to judge anybody anyway?" Andrew jabbed.

"Really." Claire clicked her tongue.

"You know Bender, you don't even count. I mean if you disappeared forever it wouldn't make any difference. You may as well not even exist at this school." Andrew growled hatefully.

Bender went silent for a moment and looked over at me. My heart sank as I saw the hurt in his eyes that he was trying to hide. He didn't deserve that, annoying as he was.

"Could you be anything more than an asshole?" I shouted over at Andrew.

He turned to glare at me briefly as John regained his fire.

"Well, I'll just run right out and join the wrestling team!" he said sarcastically. Andrew and Claire exchanged a laugh and Bender continued, "Maybe the prep club too! Student council..."

"No, they wouldn't take you." Andrew shook his head.

"I'm hurt." Bender scoffed.

"You know why guys like you knock everything? Claire butted in.

"Oh this should be stunning..." John mumbled.

"It's 'cause you're afraid." she finished.

"Oh God! You richies are so smart, that's exactly why I'm not heavy in activities!" Bender laughed her off.

"You're a big coward!" she stabbed at him.

Brian started to get fidgety in his seat and I sighed, knowing he was about to say something stupid again.

"I'm in the math club..." he started. They ignored him and Claire kept going.

"See, you're afraid that they won't take you. You don't belong so you just have to dump all over it."

"Well it wouldn't have anything to do with you activities people being assholes, now would it?" John asked.

"Well you wouldn't know." Claire shrugged, "You don't know any of us."

"Well, I don't know any lepers either, but I'm not gonna run out and join one of their fucking clubs." Bender growled and I laughed.

"Hey, let's watch the mouth, huh?" Andrew ordered.

Brian started to get antsy again. Here we go.

"I'm in the physics club too..."

"Excuse me." Bender looked from Claire to Brian, "What are you babbling about?"

"Well, what I said was, I'm in the math club, the Latin club and the physics club." Brian stuttered, attempting to either try and fit in or to defuse the situation. Neither worked.

"Hey cherry, do you belong to the physics club?" Bender started on Claire again.

"That's an academic club." she rolled her eyes.

"So?" Bender prodded.

"So academic clubs aren't like other clubs."

"I'd rather be in the physics club than join one of your bitch-in-training clubs." I mumbled.

"We still have some spots open." Brian smiled and nudged me. I returned the smile as the others continued to ignore us.

"Ah, but to dorks like him they are." Bender pointed to Brian, bringing him back into the conversation, "What do you guys do in your club?"

"In physics club, um, well ah, we talk about physics...properties of physics." he stammered.

"So it's sorta social. Demented and sad, but social. Right?" John asked.

"Yeah, well I guess you could consider it a social situation. I mean there are other children in my club and uh, at the end of the year we have, um, you know, a big banquet at the uh, at the Hilton."

My God, did he ever have trouble speaking!

"You load up, you party." Bender kept on.

"Well, no, we get dressed up. I mean, but we don't...we don't get high." Brian mumbled.

"Only burners like you get high." Claire chimed in.

"And uh, I didn't have any shoes. So I had to borrow my dad's. It was kinda weird because-"

I put my hand over Brian's mouth and shook my head before he could embarrass himself any further.

"Look, you guys keep up you're talking and Vernon's going to come right in here. I got a meet this Saturday and I'm not going to miss it on account of you boneheads." Andrew groaned.

"Oh and wouldn't that be a bite, missing a whole wrestling meet!" Bender moaned in agony.

"Well, you wouldn't know anything about it, faggot! You never competed in your whole life!"

"Is this what they whole damn day is going to be like? Shut up!" I groaned and put my hands over my ears. Bender glanced at me briefly but Andrew blew me off. Bender smiled at me before turning back to the jock.

"Oh I know, I feel all empty inside because of it. I have such a deep admiration for guys who roll on the floor with other guys."

"Ahh, you'd never miss it. You don't have any goals." Andrew shook him off.

"Oh but I do!"

"Yeah?" Andrew rose his eyebrow.

"I wanna be just. Like. You! I figure all I need's a labotamy and some tights!" Bender smirked.

"You wear tights?" Brian snickered.

"No, I don't wear tights. I wear the required uniform." Andrew hissed at Brian.

"Tights." Brian chuckled and I giggled a bit.

"Shut up!" Andrew barked, dismissing us both.

Suddenly, we heard Vernon shuffling around in the hall and Bender ran over to take the chair next to me. I tried to push him away but he just scooted closer, our legs no touching. I blushed and turned away from him. When the silence returned, John stood up, laughed, and walked over to the library doors.

"You know there's not supposed to be any monkey business!" Brian called to him. Bender pointed back at him and put on his best Vernon voice.

"Young man, have you finished your paper?"

He continued on to the doors and checked if the coast was clear before he reached up and pulled out a screw.

"What are you going to do?" Claire asked.

"Drop dead I hope." Andrew muttered.

Bender messed with the door for about a second more before it slammed shut. He then ran over to me and shoved the screw into my lap before he bounded back to his original chair. I gasped in surprise and threw it back at him. It missed and disappeared.

"That's very funny. Come on, fix it!" Andrew ordered.

"You should really fix that!" Brian begged nervously.

"Am I a genius?" Bender smirked.

"No, you're an asshole!" Andrew shouted.

"What a funny guy." John laughed in a weird voice.

"Fix the door, Bender!" Andrew demanded.

"Everyone just shush. I've been here before, I know what I'm doing!" Bender barked.

"No, fix the door! Get up there and fix it!" Andrew was almost red in the face.

"SHUT UP!" Bender shouted at the top of his lungs.

"God damnit!" we heard from the other side of the door before Vernon stormed in.

We all froze in place. We were in some deep shit.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

"Why is that door closed?" Vernon boomed, eyeing us up. We all avoided eye contact and stayed silent so he repeated himself, "Why is that door closed?"

"How're we supposed to know? We're not supposed to move, right?" Bender asked. Vernon ignored him and turned to Claire.

"Why?"

"We were just sitting here." Claire shrugged, "Like we were supposed to."

Vernon eyed us all up again and stopped when he came to John.

"Who closed that door?"

"I think a screw fell out of it..." Bender mumbled.

"It just closed sir." Andrew backed him up.

Vernon wasn't having it. He looked to the back of the room and pointed to Allison.

"Who?" he barked.

Put on the spot, she shrieked and slammed her head down on the table, hiding under the hood of her coat.

"She doesn't talk, sir..." Bender covered for her. Vernon snapped back to him.

"Give me that screw." he demanded.

"I don't have it." Bender mumbled.

"You want me to yank you outta that seat and shake it out of you?" Vernon threatened.

"I don't have it. Screws fall out all the time, the world is an imperfect place." John shrugged.

"Give it to me, Bender." Vernon was growling now.

"Excuse me sir, why would anybody want to steal a screw?" Claire asked.

"Watch it young lady." he warned.

Vernon went over to the door and checked it out before attempting to prop it open with a metal fold up chair.

"The door's way too heavy, sir." Bender pointed out.

Sure enough, the minute he let go of the door it slammed shut, sending the chair flying down the hallway. We giggled quietly when we heard him shout _God damnit_ frustration, the door now separating him from us once more. The door flew open and he came back in, his face red from anger.

"Andrew Clark! Get up here. Come on, front and center, let's go!" Vernon ordered and snapped his fingers.

Andrew got up quickly and walked over to him.

"Hey, how come Andrew gets to get up? If he gets up, we'll all get up, it'll be anarchy!" John faked his outrage.

I shook my head at him and laughed before going back to watching Andrew. Vernon was making him help him wedge the magazine rack in the door to keep it open.

"Ok, now watch the magazines." Vernon snapped.

"It's outta my hands." Bender shrugged.

I held back a laugh while Andrew slid on his ass trying to get back into the library. Not only did the rack keep the door open, it blocked the whole damn thing. Was Andrew going to have to spend the rest of the day in the hallway? There was no way he was getting back in with that thing in the way. Bender saw this as an opportunity.

"That's very clever sir, but what if there's a fire? I think violating fire codes and endangering the lives of children would be unwise at this junction of your career sir."

Vernon paused to think, then he glared at Andrew like all this nonsense was his fault.

"Alright, what are you doing with this? Get this outta here for God's sake! What's the matter with you? Come on!"

"You know this school comes equipped with fire exits at each end of the library." Brian mumbled and pointed at them.

"You're ruining it, Brian." I groaned.

"Show Dick some respect!" Bender howled at Brian.

Once the magazine rack was removed from the door, Andrew went back to his seat and Vernon stood over us again.

"I expected a little more from a varsity Letterman." he mumbled to Andrew before he turned to Bender, "You're not fooling anybody, Bender! The next screw that falls out is going to be you!"

He turned to leave but John wasn't done with him.

"Eat my shorts."

Vernon spun around and looked right at him.

"What was that?"

"Eat. My. Shorts!" Bender repeated loudly.

"You just bought yourself another Saturday, mister!" Vernon shook his finger at him.

"Oh, Christ..." Bender rolled his eyes.

"You just bought one more right there!" Vernon snapped.

"Well, I'm free the Saturday after that. Beyond that, I'm gonna have to check my calendar." John pushed back.

"Good, 'cause it's gonna be filled. We'll keep going, you want another one? Say the word, you just say the word. Instead of going to prison, you'll come here. Are you through?" Vernon dared him.

"No!"

"I'm doing society a favor?"

"So?"

"That's another one, right now! I've got you for the rest of your natural born life if you don't watch your step. You want another one?" Vernon asked again.

"Yes!" Bender didn't back down.

"You got it! You got another one right there! That's another one, pal!" Vernon was fuming.

"Cut it out!" Claire tried to hush John.

The two exchanged an intimate look that suddenly made me uncomfortable. Why was I feeling this way? Was I jealous? No, Claire would never measure up to me and no one desired John Bender. I shook off the intrusive thought as Brian's voice brought me back in.

"That's seven including the one when we first came in and you asked Mr. Vernon here whether Barry Manilow knew that he raided his closet."

"Now it's eight, and you stay out of it." Vernon growled at Brian.

"Excuse me Sir-"

I put my hand over Brian's mouth again. He couldn't speak properly and he couldn't shut the hell up. Poor kid.

"You're mine, Bender. For two months I gotcha. I gotcha!" Vernon laughed.

"What can I say?" John shrugged, "I'm thrilled."

"Oh I'm sure that's exactly what you want these people to believe. You know something, Bender? You ought to spend a little more time trying to do something with yourself and a little less time trying to impress people. You might be better off." Vernon turned to the rest of us, "Alright, that's it! I'm going to be right outside those doors. The next time I have to come in here, I'm cracking skulls!"

I watched Bender mouth the _cracking skulls_ line along with Vernon before he turned around and left, slamming the door behind him. I then cursed myself once I realized that I was looking at John again. I turned back to my paper and scowled as Bender shouted his last hurrah at Vernon.

"FUCK YOU!"

 **Note: I plan to get into more intimate scenes between the characters in chapters 5, 6, or even 7 depending. I think it's important to get the original dialogue out first to get a feel for the characters as the director intended before I start to play with them a little. Please bare with me. I hope you've been enjoy the story thus far, thanks for reading.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 6**

Some time passed and we were all bored out of our minds. Claire was staring out into space. Andrew was playing with the strings on his sweat shirt. Allison looked like she was drawing. Bender lit his shoe on fire and used it to light a cigarette before slapping his shoe to put the fire out. Brian placed his hat in his lap to hide a random boner and I used that awkward situation as an excuse to go and sit by John.

"Care to share?" I asked as he watched me sit down.

"What are you doing smoking?" he smirked.

"What do you care?" I took the smoke from him.

He smiled as a grey cloud of smoke trailed out of my lips. I gave it back to him but I couldn't look at him. Instead, I looked over at Andrew who was playing paper football and quietly cheering to himself. I smiled wide.

"What's so amusing?" John asked, giving me the smoke again.

"Nothing, this day blows." I exhaled and handed it back.

"Why are you here?" he took one more drag before dropping it on the floor and stomping it out.

"I told you, it's nobody's business." I sighed. He grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him.

"Why are you so guarded?"

I yanked my head out of his hand and looked forward.

"Why are you?"

"Fair enough, lover." he smirked again.

"You wish." I mumbled.

"Maybe I do." he murmured back mockingly.

I rolled my eyes before resting my head on my hand, but I couldn't hide the small smile on my face.

"Wake up!" Vernon shouted suddenly.

My eyes shot open and I realized I was laying on the table with Bender, his arms around me. I looked up and he was smiling, but not a cocky smile, a genuinely happy smile.

"Shhh." he whispered and closed his eyes. I was too shocked to move.

"Who has to go to the lavatory?" Vernon asked, annoyance thick in his voice.

We all raised our hands and I shot up first, anxious to get away from John.

When we returned I decided to sit in the back with Allison. I didn't have to worry about any flirting or random boners from her. Brian and Claire sat in their original seats but Bender was back up on the railing tearing up a book and Andrew was standing below him, stretching. Wanting to fit in, Brian got up and stood behind John. Andrew looked up as Bender threw a handful of pages in the air.

"That's real intelligent" Andrew scoffed sarcastically.

"You're right, it's wrong to destroy literature." Bender moaned and tore out more pages, "It's so fun to read, and...Molet really pumps my nads!"

"Mol-yare" Claire laughed and corrected him. Again, they exchanged an intimate look and the uncomfortable feeling returned. Thankfully, Brian ruined it for them.

"I love his work." he smiled.

Frustrated, Bender threw the rest of the book at him and moved on to messing up a card catalogue drawer.

"Big deal, nothing to do when you're locked in a vacancy."

"Speak for yourself." Andrew mumbled.

"Do you think I'd speak for you?" Bender snapped, "I don't even know you're language!"

Andrew brushed him off and turned to Claire.

"Hey, you grounded tonight?"

"I don't know. My mom said I was but my dad told me to just blow her off." Claire shrugged.

"Big party at Stubbie's, parents are in Europe. Should be pretty wild..." Andrew tried to bait her and it worked.

"Yeah?"

John looked super jealous as he watched Andrew and Claire and I got a little mad.

"Your green monster is showing." Allison whispered to me. I whipped around in my chair.

"What are you talking about?"

"You want John, but John wants Claire." she giggled.

"He does not want Claire, and I don't want him!" I hissed.

"If you say so..." she smirked.

I shook my head at her and looked back at the others.

"...It's like they use me just to get back at each other." Claire finished what sounded like a sob story.

"HA!" Allison shouted, making me go deaf in one ear.

Everyone looked back at her, shocked. Allison blew her hair out of her face and smiled as if nothing had happened.

"Shut up!" Claire yelled at her and for a second I felt like getting up and punching her in her stupid ginger face, but Andrew got on her before I could.

"You're just feeling sorry for yourself.

"Yeah, well if I didn't nobody else would." Claire whined.

"Aw, you're breaking my heart." Andrew grinned.

"Sporto..." Bender started and jumped down from the railing.

"What?" Andrew snapped.

"You get along with your parents?"

"Well, if I say yes, I'm and idiot, right?" Andrew growled.

"You're an idiot anyway." Bender smirked, "But if you say you get along with your parents, well you're a liar too!"

Bender walked away from him, but Andrew followed him and pushed him.

"You know something, man? If we weren't in school right now, I'd waste you!" Andrew threatened. Bender lifted a limp hand.

"Can you hear this? Do you need me to turn it up?" when he lifted his hand he was giving Andrew the finger.

Brian rushed over to separate them.

"Hey fellas, I mean..."

They both pushed him away and continued to stare each other down. Brian kept going.

"...I don't like my parents either, I don't, I don't get along with them. Their idea of parental compassion is just, you know, wacko."

"Dork..." Bender stopped him.

"Yeah?"

"You're a parent's wet dream, ok?" John rolled his eyes and started to walk away again.

"Well, that's the problem!" Brian sighed. Bender stopped in his tracks and turned around to look at him.

"Look, I can see you getting all bunged up for them making you wear these kinda clothes. But face it, you're a neo-maxi-zoom-dweebie! What would you be doing if you weren't out making yourself a better citizen?"

"Why do you have to insult everybody?" Andrew shouted.

"I'm being honest, asshole!" Bender growled, "I would expect you to know the difference!"

"Yeah well, he's got a name!" Andrew kept on him.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah!" Andrew looked at Brian, "What's your name?"

"Brian..." he mumbled.

"See?"

"My condolences." Bender apologized before walking over to Claire, "What's your name?"

I turned away and began to hum to myself to block them out. I couldn't handle anymore sexual tension between them.

"Why don't you go over there and tell him _your_ name?" Allison nudged me.

"Shut up, he doesn't need to know my name."

"Why not?" she prodded.

"'Cause he's not important." I growled.

"Then stop undressing him with your eyes." she laughed.

"Since when were you so annoying?" I asked.

"Since you started your denial bullshit." she smirked. I couldn't help but smile at her.

"Leave her alone!" Andrew howled from across the library.

Bender stood up and walked over to Andrew.

"You gonna make me?"

"Yeah."

"You and how many of your friends?" Bender asked.

"Just me, just you and me. Two hits. Me hitting you, you hitting the floor. Anytime you're ready, pal!" Andrew spat.

Bender went to punch him but Andrew caught him and before I knew it both boys were rolling around on the floor. I gasped and got up to stop them. This wasn't good.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Andrew had John pinned on the floor. No matter how much he squirmed, Andrew had him locked in place. Finally, Bender gave up.

"I don't want to get into this with you man..."

Both boys got up off of the floor but Andrew kept his eye on Bender.

"Why not?"

"'Cause I'd kill you. It's real simple. I'd kill you and your fucking parents would sue me and it would be a big mess and I don't care enough about you to bother." John shrugged and started to walk towards the back of the library.

"Chicken shit..." Andrew mumbled and turned to walk away.

Bender spun around real quick and pulled out a switch blade. The sound of the click from the blade opening made Andrew turn back around. He looked worried until Bender grunted and sunk the blade into the chair next to Allison. Andrew's courage returned.

"Let's end this right now. You don't talk to her, you don't look at her and you don't even think about her! You understand me?"

"I'm trying to help her!" Bender groaned and Allison pocked his knife that everyone else forgot about.

Andrew went to sit back next to Claire and before John could follow and cause more trouble, I grabbed the sleeve of his jean jacket.

"Come on now." I said gently and motioned to the table in front of Brian.

He nodded and as we sat down Carl the janitor came in with a garbage can and cleaning supplies.

"Brian, how you doing?" he smiled and waved. Brian nodded to him.

"Hey Carl." I greeted him.

"Hi, Lindsay. Kinda disappointed to see you in here." he frowned as he made his way into a small room.

"Some things can't be helped." I shrugged, ashamed. John nudged me.

"Your name is Lindsay?"

"Yeah, so?" I mumbled.

"Oh..." he said plainly before looking at Carl, "Uh, Carl?"

"What?" Carl came out from the small room.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure..." Carl nodded.

"How does one become a janitor?" Bender asked.

"You wanna be a janitor?" Carl rose his eyebrow.

"No, I just wanna know how one becomes a janitor, because Andrew here is very interested in pursuing a career in the custodial arts." Bender smirked at Andrew who looked down at the floor.

"Oh really?" Carl glared at all of us, "You guys think I'm some untouchable peasant? A peon? Huh? Maybe so, but following a broom around after shitheads like you for the past eight years I've learned a couple of things. I look through your letters, I look through your lockers, I listen to your conversations. You don't know that but I do. I am the eyes and ears of this institution, my friends. By the way, that clock's twenty minutes fast!"

Everyone groaned as Carl left but Bender and I just smiled. Good game Carl, good game.

Some more time passed and we shuffled around and back into our original seats. Boredom set in once more and soon Bender started to whistle a catchy tune. One by one we all joined in and for the first time that day we all got along. It didn't last long, because Vernon walked in and everyone stopped whistling except John who started to whistle Beethoven's 5th instead.

"Alright girls, that's thirty minutes for lunch." Vernon barked.

"Here?" Andrew asked?

"Here." Vernon nodded.

"Well I think the cafeteria would be a more suitable place for us to eat lunch in, sir." Andrew pointed out.

"Well I don't care what you think, Andrew!" Vernon howled.

"Uh, Dick? Excuse me, Rich? Will milk be made available to us?" Bender asked.

"We're extremely thirsty, sir." Andrew nodded.

"I have a very low tolerance for dehydration." Claire joined in.

"I've seen her dehydrated sir, it's pretty gross." Andrew backed her up.

"Relax, I'll get it!" John stood up.

"Ah, ah, ah, grab some wood there, bub!" Vernon ordered and Bender grinned as he sat back down, "What do you think? I was born yesterday? You think I'm gonna have you roaming these halls? You!"

He pointed at Andrew first before looking around. Andrew motioned to Claire but Vernon ignored him and pointed to Allison instead.

"And you! Hey! What's her name? Wake her! Wake her up! Come on, on your feet, missy! Let's go, this is no rest home!" he barked and Allison stood up, "There's a soft drink machine in the teacher's lounge."

Vernon left with Andrew and Allison while the other four of us went back by the computers to goof off while we waited. Brian sat up on the rail and I sat in front of a computer. For some reason Claire stood next to me and picked at her nails while Bender grabbed a book.

"Claire, you wanna see a picture of a guy with elephantiasis of the nuts?" he asked, "It's pretty tasty..."

"No thank you." she groaned.

"How do you think he rides a bike?" he asked again and she turned away from him in disgust, "Oh Claire, would you ever consider dating a guy like this?"

"Can't you just leave me alone?" she whined.

"I mean, if he had a great personality, was a good dancer and had a cool car? Although, you'd probably have to ride in the back seat 'cause his nuts would ride shot gun." Bender smirked.

"You know what I wish I was doing?" she changed the subject.

"Watch what you say, Brian here is a cherry." Bender warned.

"A cherry?" Brian asked as Claire mumbled something about France, "I'm not a cherry."

"Have you ever gotten laid?" Bender asked.

While the boys argued about nonsense, Claire grabbed a strand of my hair and ran in through her fingers.

"Is this your natural color?"

"No, I dyed it." I said plainly.

"Why?"

"'Cause I didn't like being blonde...I like to be intense." I answered.

"Like Bowie?" she asked again.

"How do you figure?" I rose my eyebrow.

"He's on your shirt." she smiled. I looked down and remembered that I was wearing my black Ziggy Stardust crop top over a green tank top. I blushed a little.

"Yeah...I'm kinda in love with him."

"He's cool." her smile was sweet.

"Oh! You and Claire did it!" Bender said loudly. We both turned to face him.

"What are you talking about?" Claire asked.

"Nothing, nothing!" Brian hushed, "Let's just drop it. We'll talk about it later."

"No, drop what? What are you talking about?" Claire egged on.

"Well, Brian's trying to tell me that in addition to the number of girls in the Niagara Falls area, that presently you and he are riding the hobby horse." Bender smirked matter-of-factly.

"Little pig!" Claire snapped.

"That's just as likely as you and I shacking up, asshole." I spat at Bender. He looked hurt but brushed it off.

"No I'm not! I'm not!" Brian tried to defend himself, "John said I was a cherry and I said I wasn't. That's all that was said!"

"Well then what were you motioning to Claire for?" Bender asked.

"You know, I don't appreciate this very much, Brian." Claire pouted.

"He's lying!" Brian moaned.

"Oh, you weren't motioning to Claire?" Bender prodded.

"You know he's lying, right?" Brian's face began to flush red.

"Were you, or were you not, motioning to Claire?"

"Yeah, but it was only...was only because I didn't want her to know that I was a virgin, ok?" Brian sighed, "Excuse me for being a virgin, I'm sorry..."

"Why didn't you want me to know that you were a virgin?" Claire laughed.

"Because it's my personal business. It's my personal, private business." Brian mumbled.

"Well Brian, it doesn't sound like you're doing any business." Bender smirked.

"I think it's okay for a guy to be a virgin." Claire smiled at Brian.

"You do?" Brian asked. Claire nodded.

"What about you, lover? Do you like virgins?" Bender looked over at me.

"Of course. Especially if they're saving it for someone they love. That's incredibly romantic." I winked at him.

He looked at me awe struck, but before he could come up with something sly to say, Andrew and Allison had returned with a bunch of Coca Cola's. It was time to eat. I walked over to my seat and Andrew handed me a Coke before I sat down and dug through my bag which was unusually light at the moment.

"Ah shit!" I groaned, "I forgot my lunch!"


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Claire took her lunch out of a pretty shopping bag as Bender tossed Allison a can of coke. Claire set out a sushi platter and caught Bender's attention.

"What's that?"

"Sushi." said Claire.

"Sushi?" he asked, confused.

"Rice, raw fish and seaweed." she explained as she poured a small dish of soy sauce and then picked up a pair of chop sticks.

"You won't accept a guys tongue in your mouth and you're gonna eat that?" John looked disgusted.

"Can I eat?" Claire moaned.

"I don't know." Bender shrugged, "Give it a try."

Claire ignored him and started to eat as Andrew unpacked his grocery bag lunch. He took out three sandwiches, a party size bag of chips, an apple, a banana, a bag of cookies and a carton of milk. My stomach growled loudly and he looked over at me, causing me to blush.

"Sorry." I mumbled to him. He looked at me sympathetically.

"Come here." he motioned to me, "Come sit."

I hesitated, not wanting to look needy, but my stomach won and before I knew it I was sitting next to the wrestling star.

"Here." he smiled kindly and handed me a sandwich and the apple, "Don't need you passing out."

"Thank you." I nodded to him and took a small bite of the sandwich.

From this close I could actually see the pretty blue color of his eyes. He actually was quite handsome. Bender cleared his throat and I noticed that he was staring at me again.

"What?" I growled.

"Nothing." he mumbled.

He got up and went to sit over by Brian as Allison began to devour a sandwich made out of Captain Crunch and pixie sticks. I'm surprised her teeth didn't fall out.

"What're we having?" John asked Brian.

"Uh, it's your standard, regular lunch I guess..."

Bender dug in the bag and pulled out a thermos.

"Milk?"

"Soup." Brian corrected him and tried to grab his bag back. Bender slapped his hand away and pulled out a juice box, "That's apple juice."

"I can read!" Bender snapped and continued to pull items out of the bag, "PB&J with the crusts cut off. Well Brian, this is a very nutritious lunch. All of the food groups are represented. Did your mom marry Mr. Rogers?"

"No, Mr. Johnson." Brian stated as we all laughed at him missing the joke.

"Ahh... here's my impression of life at big Bri's house..." Bender started before changing the sound of his voice, " **Son!** _Yeah dad?_ **How was your day pal?** _Great dad, how's yours?_ **Super! Say son, how'd you like to go fishing this weekend?** _Great dad, but I have homework to do!_ **That's alright son, you can do it on the boat!** _Gee!_ "

He took a breath and looked at all of us before continuing, this time, pretending to be Brian's parents.

" **Dear, isn't our son swell?** _Yes dear, isn't life swell?_ " he mimicked the parents kissing each other before he made the father punch the mother in the face, taking the humor out of the story.

"Alright, what about your family?" Andrew asked.

"Oh mine? Well that's real easy!" Bender stood tall and mimicked his parents, " **Stupid, worthless, no good, God damned, free loading, son of a bitch, retarded, big mouth, know it all, asshole, jerk!** _You forgot ugly, lazy and disrespectful._ **Shut up bitch! Go fix me a turkey pot pie!** "

Bender mimicked his dad bitch slapping his mom before he started again, this time he portrayed himself and his father.

" _What about you dad?_ **Fuck you!** _No dad, what about you?_ **Fuck you!** _No, dad, what about you?_ **FUCK YOU!** " Bender shouted and pretended to get punched in the face by his dad, concluding his performance.

"Is that for real?" Brian asked, worried.

"You wanna come over sometime?" John asked.

"That's bullshit." Andrew rolled his eyes, "It's all part of your image, I don't believe a word of it."

"You don't believe me?" hurt returned to Bender's eyes and I cringed.

"Nope?" Andrew shook his head.

"No?"

"Did I stutter?" Andrew asked.

Bender walked over to him and rolled up his sleeve, revealing a purple, circular shaped burn.

"Do you believe this, huh? It's about the size of a cigar, do I stutter? You see, this is what you get in my house when you spill paint in the garage."

Andrew avoided his gaze and Bender backed up in anger.

"See, I don't think that I need to sit here with you fucking dildos anymore!" he shouted before walking over to a table.

Unable to hold in his anger, he yelled at the top of his lungs and threw a bunch of books across the library before hopping up on the table and climbing up to the second story balcony. My stomach sank.

"You shouldn't have said that." Claire scolded Andrew.

"How would I know? I mean he lies about everything anyway!" Andrew groaned.

"You're such a fucking asshole!" I spat and threw his food back at him before getting up.

Tears welled in my eyes as I made my way towards Bender. I looked at him briefly before sitting next to him and pulling him into my arms.

"I'm so sorry." tears trailed down my cheeks as I hugged him. He readjusted the hug and put my head on his chest once he realized I was crying.

"Hey now lover, you didn't do anything." he stroked my hair.

"I know what it's like to have a piece of shit for a dad." I sniffled.

"Do I need to kick some ass?" John asked. I laughed and wiped a tear away.

"This was supposed to be about you, not me."

"I'm fine, really." he smiled and brushed the hair out of my face before kissing my forehead, "Thank you."

I placed my hand on his and we stayed in each others arms for a few more minutes before we heard Vernon curse and stomp out of his office. Bender pulled away and looked over his shoulder.

"Hey, lover, wanna go do something fun?" he asked.

"What is it?"

"It's in my locker, we have to go get it. Come on." he grabbed my hand and led me down the stairs to go and collect the others.

"Hey dildos, I got an idea!" Bender smiled and before I knew it we were all heading off to Bender's locker.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Bender was in the front with me on one side and Claire on the other. Brian and Andrew walked in a pair with Allison bringing up the rear. Only John knew what was going on.

"How do you know where Vernon went?" Claire asked.

"I don't..."

"Well then, how do you know when he'll be back?" she asked again.

"I don't. Being bad feels pretty good, huh?" he smirked at her.

I rolled my eyes and turned my attention to Brian who was freaking out behind me.

"What's the point of going to Bender's locker?"

"Beats me." Andrew shrugged.

"This is so stupid!" Brian scoffed, "Why do you think...why are we risking getting caught?"

"I dunno..." Andrew brushed him off but Brian kept going.

"So then what are we doing?"

"You ask me one more question and I'm beating the shit out of you." Andrew warned.

"Sorry." Brian whimpered. I reached back and touched Andrew's hand gently.

"Settle down, he's a little high strung."

Andrew held my hand for a moment and nodded before letting my hand go. Bender saw this and growled at Andrew who just smiled back at him. Frustrated, John grabbed my hand and pulled me back to his side. I sighed but smiled, taking small satisfaction in knowing that he had a bit of a thing for me.

Soon after, we arrived at Bender's locker. He spun the lock and yanked it open. A guillotine slammed down and cut off the tip of his chucks. I rose my eye brow as he opened the top of his locker and pulled out a bag.

"Slob." Andrew shook his head.

"My maid's on vacation." Bender shrugged and unwrapped the bag, revealing a small bag of marijuana.

"Drugs?" Brian gasped.

"Screw that, Bender! Put it back!" Andrew demanded but Bender ignored him and walked away.

"Drugs...the boy has marijuana!" Brian pushed out to no one in particular. Claire walked away so Brian turned to Andrew, "That was marijuana!"

"Shut up!" Andrew growled and pushed him out of the way before following Claire and John. Brian turned back to Allison and I.

"Do you approve of this?"

"It's whatever, Brian." I shrugged.

Brian shrugged back and we turned to leave, but not before Allison stole Bender's lock.

"We'll cross through the lab, and then we'll double back." John instructed.

"You better be right." Andrew snapped, "If Vernon cuts us off it's your fault, asshole!"

"What'd he say?" Brian asked Claire but she ignored him, "Where are we going?"

"Just follow me, twitchy." I motioned to him.

Suddenly, we all spotted Vernon at the other end of the hall. We all gasped and booked it in the other direction, hoping like hell that he didn't see us. Bender led the way again and we wove through a couple of halls and down a flight of stairs before Andrew took a wrong turn.

"Wait! Wait, hold it! Hold it!" John stopped him, "We have to go through the cafeteria!"

"No, the activities hall!" Andrew insisted.

"Hey man, you don't know what you're talking about." Bender groaned.

"No, you don't know what you're talking about!" Andrew snapped and Allison squeaked in an attempt to hurry him up, "Now we're through listening to you! We're going this way!"

We all decided to follow Andrew and after running through a few more halls and down one more flight of stairs we were stopped by a set of iron gates that closed off the hallway.

"Shit!" Andrew growled and slammed his fist on the gate.

"Great idea, jagoff!" Bender ground his teeth and shook the gate.

"Fuck you!" Andrew shouted.

"No, fuck you!" Claire yelled at him, "Why didn't you listen to John?"

"We're dead!" Brian cried.

I sighed as John hesitated for a moment. He then looked at me and brushed a finger over my cheek.

"No...just me."

"What do you mean?" Brian asked.

"Get back to the library, keep your unit on this!" Bender ordered and shoved the drugs in Brian's pants. Before we could object, he took off down the hall and started screaming, "I WANNA BE AN AIRBORNE RANGER!"

Before we all took off, I reached into Brian's pants and took the bag of weed.

"You don't need this." I barked and shoved it into my bra.

He gave me a weird look before we all raced back to the library and waited for Bender to return.

About ten minutes later, Vernon returned with Bender and tossed him back to his table.

"Get your stuff, let's go!" he yelled at him before he turned to us, "Mr. Wiseguy here has taken it upon himself to go to the gymnasium. I'm sorry to inform you, you're going to be without his services for the rest of the day."

"B-O-O H-O-O!" Bender spat at him.

"Everything's a big joke, huh Bender? The false alarm you pulled Friday, alarms are pretty funny, aren't they? What if your home, what if your family..." Vernon paused, "What if your _dope_ was on fire?"

"Impossible sir, it's in Johnson's underwear." Bender smiled and Andrew laughed, earning him a glare from Vernon.

"You think he's funny? You think this is cute? You think he's bitchin', is that it? Lemme tell you something. Look at him, he's a bum. You wanna see something funny? You go see John Bender in five years! You'll see how God damned funny he is!" Vernon paused to look at Bender who was doing his best to hide that he was upset, "What's the matter John? You gonna cry? Let's go."

"Hey, keep your fucking hands off me!" John shouted and smacked Vernon's hand away. He then got right in Vernon's face, their noses almost touching, "I expected better manners from you, Dick!"

Bender started to walk away but stopped in front of Andrew and gave him his sunglasses.

"For better hallway vision." he smiled and patted Andrew on the shoulder.

Vernon nudged him along and in a last effort of defiance, John swung his hand out and knocked a bunch of stuff off of the library desk. Vernon shoved him out the door and slammed it behind him. We all fell silent.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Brian sighed.

"Write our papers I guess..." I breathed.

"Or cry about lost lovers." Allison laughed.

"Allison!" I mock yelled at her, making her giggle more.

"Why do you like him?" Andrew asked seriously. I looked over at him and couldn't tell if he was asking out of jealousy or pure curiosity.

"I don't like him, I can just relate to him. That's all."

"How?" Claire asked, clearly jealous.

"My dad's an alcoholic. He beats the shit outta me too. My mom doesn't join in like Bender's does, but she doesn't stop it." I took a breath, trying to keep myself from getting emotional.

Andrew and Claire looked away and the room went silent again.

Suddenly, we heard a creaking from the ceiling. Before we could look up we heard an "OH SHIT!" followed by a loud crash. We all jumped in our seats. A moment later, John appeared like a dream. His smile made me blush as my heart fluttered.

"I forgot my pencil." he smirked and walked over to us.

"God damn it! What in God's name is going on in there?" Vernon shouted from the hall.

Bender panicked and dove under the desk that Andrew and Claire were sitting at just as Vernon swung the door open.

"What was that ruckus?" he yelled.

"Uh, what ruckus?" Andrew asked.

"I was just in my office and I heard a ruckus!"

"Could you describe the ruckus, sir?" Brian asked.

"Watch your tongue young man! Watch it!" Vernon stabbed a finger at him.

Bender tried to sit up but instead he banged his head on the table. He groaned. Andrew pounded on the table to try and cover up the sound.

"What is that? What, what is that? What is that noise?" Vernon growled.

"What noise?" Andrew asked.

"Really sir, there wasn't any noise..." Claire started but suddenly squealed. Bender groaned again and everyone started a coughing fit to drown out the noise, "That noise? Was that the noise you were talking about?"

"No it wasn't. That was not the noise I was talking about." Vernon paused, " Now, I may not have caught you in the act this time, but you can bet I will!"

Allison laughed.

"You make book on that Missy!" he snapped before turning to Claire, "And you! I will not be made a fool of!"

He turned to walk away and we noticed that he has a toilet seat cover stuck to the back of his pants. We all waited for him to leave before we burst out laughing.


	9. Chapter 9

**First of all, I want to thank Yas334 for following me. You are the best! :) Second I have decided that I'm not going to trail the Breakfast Club into From the Hip. I have come up with a much better plot line laying awake for these past few nights that is going to be so much better than my original idea. So, I apologize to those who were waiting for that if you were, but I promise that once I get through the actual movie, what happens next is going to be interesting. Thank you to all who have read my story thus far and if you want to give some feedback, I would love to hear it!**

 **Chapter Nine**

Bender crawled out from under the table into a barrage of slaps from Claire. He groaned and tried to move out of the way but she got him pretty good.

"You're an asshole!" she snarled.

"So sue me." Bender mumbled.

I looked over at the two of them confused as Allison leaned forward and tapped me on the shoulder.

"He put his face up her skirt." she whispered.

"Are you serious?" I asked and when she nodded I gagged, "Disgusting."

"I'm sure she really didn't mind." Allison snickered.

"Stop." I begged, jealousy boiling in my chest again.

"Lindsay took it from me, I swear. I'd never steal your weed!" Brian pleaded with Bender who turned to me.

"Lover?" he rose his eye brow as I remembered that I had stashed the bah in my bra.

I yanked it out and tossed it at him.

"Fuck off!" I scowled.

He gave me a weird look before walking to the back of the library.

"Yo wastoid! You're not going to blaze up in here!" Andrew snapped but Bender didn't acknowledge him. Claire and Brian went after him and Andrew rolled his eyes, "Shit..."

Andrew looked at Allison and I and she gave him a worried look but he shook it off and left to join the others anyway. I got up and sat next to Allison. There was no way I was going to get high and it was time to give her a taste of her own medicine.

"So sporto values your opinion...did you blow him when you went to get sodas?" I smirked.

"Maybe you should have blown John, then he wouldn't have gone up Claire's skirt." she snapped back.

"Alright, alright! I was just joking!" I surrendered. She was too good at this.

"I'm sorry, that was a shitty thing for him to do."

"Nah, it's my fault for falling for his bullshit." I sighed.

"You couldn't help it, you have a good heart." she tried to comfort me.

"You and I should hang out more." I smiled at her. Her face lit up like the 4th of July.

"Really?"

"Yeah, you're really cool." I nodded.

Before she could say anything else we were interrupted by loud, hysteric laughter coming from the back of the library. I groaned and rolled my eyes. I hated feeling left out, but I wasn't going to drop my pride and go over there. Bender could have his precious princess.

Suddenly, Andrew burst from the room in front of us which scared the hell out of me because I didn't even see him go in there. He took a big hit of a joint as smoke wafted out of the room behind him. It must have been pretty good weed because he was bouncing off the walls in no time. He took his sweat shirt and shirt off and threw them down at us, revealing a blue tank top and his well toned arms. I wolf whistled and nudged Allison.

"Take it all off!" I shouted to him. Allison blushed but she kept watching him.

Andrew smiled at us and continued to dance and jump around the library. It was nice to see him so happy. He finished his round and went back into the room he started in before slamming the door. He then held up his fists and shouted as loud as he could, shattering the glass. Allison gave him a sympathetic look as he left the room and went to join the others. After a little bit, Allison got bored.

"Wanna go over by them?" she asked.

"I guess." I sighed and got up to follow her.

"-you got a middle name?" we heard Andrew ask Brian as we got closer.

"Yeah." Brian nodded, "Guess."

"Your middle name is Ralph, as in puke." Allison interrupted them and sat next to Brian. I sat down on the floor next to Andrew and rested my head on his leg as she continued, "Your birthday is March 12th, you're five-nine and a half, you weigh 130 pounds and your social security number is 0-4-9-3-8-0-9-1-3."

Andrew was impressed but Brian looked down right spooked.

"Wow, are you psychic?" he asked her.

"No..." she smirked.

"Well, would you mind telling me how you know all this about me?" he asked, clearly annoyed.

"I stole your wallet..." she pulled it out of her bra and grinned. I shook my head and smiled.

"Give it to me..." Brian held out his hand.

"No."

"Give it!" he demanded.

Reluctantly, she tossed it back to him and he fingered through it to make sure that nothing was missing.

"This is great, you're a thief too!" Brian stabbed at her.

"I'm not a thief!" Allison gasped, hurt.

"Multi-talented!" he kept going.

"What's there to steal? Two bucks and a beaver shot!" she snarled.

"A what?" Andrew asked.

"He's got a nudie picture in there! I saw it, it's perverted!" she threw Brian under the bus.

"Alright, let's see it!" Andrew grinned.

I laughed and caught a glimpse of Bender out of the corner of my eye. He was brushing his teeth with an eye brow brush as Claire went through his wallet. I sighed and looked away. Andrew sensed my sadness and rubbed the back of my neck before he grabbed Brian's wallet.

"This is the worst fake ID I've ever seen! Do you realize you made yourself 68?" Andrew laughed.

"I know, I know." Brian laughed in return, "I goofed it."

"What do you need a fake ID for?" Andrew asked.

"So I can vote." Brian shrugged like it was obvious.

"You wanna see what's in my bag?" Allison asked, hopeful.

"No!" the boys said at the same time.

Allison scrunched her face and dumped out her bag anyway. Make up, tampons, undergarments, a change of clothes and a scarf spilled out onto the couch. I was curious as to why she carried so much stuff.

"Holy shit! What is all this stuff?" Andrew asked.

"Do you always carry this much shit in your bag?" Brian followed.

"Yeah...I always carry this much _shit_ in my bag. You never know when you may have to jam." she explained.

"Are you gonna be like a shopping bag lady? You know like, sit in alleyways and like talk to buildings and wear men's shoes and that kinda thing?" Brian prodded her.

"I'll do what I have to do." she mumbled.

"Why do you have to do anything?"

"My home life is... _unsatisfying_." she said sadly.

"So you're saying that you'd subject yourself to the violent dangers of these Chicago streets because your home life is unsatisfying?" Brian asked in disbelief.

"I don't have to run away and live in the street. I can run away and go to the ocean, I can go to the country, I can go to the mountains. I can go to Israel, Africa, Afghanistan!" she defended herself.

Brian gave her a weird look before looking over at Andrew. I glared at him. I had no idea a twitchy little nerd could be such a judgemental asshole.

"Andy, you wanna get in on this? Allison here, says she wants to run away because her home life is unsatisfying."

"Well everyone's home lives are unsatisfying. If it wasn't, people would live with their parents forever." Andrew shrugged.

"Yeah, yeah, I understand. But I think that hers goes beyond, you know, what guys like you and me consider normal unsatisfying." Brian nodded.

"Never mind, forget it! Everything's cool!" Allison snapped as she started to put her stuff back into her bag. My heart sank. I felt horrible for her but I didn't know what to do.

"What's the deal?" Andrew asked.

"There is no deal, sporto. Forget it, leave me alone." she growled.

"Wait a minute, now you carrying all that crap around in your purse. Either you really wanna run away or you want people to think you wanna run away." he spat at her.

"Eat shit!" Allison spat back at him before getting up and walking away.

"That girl is an island, with herself. Okay?" Brian mumbled to Andrew before he walked over to Allison. Brian then turned to me, "Anything you want to get off of your chest?"

"Get bent." I growled at him and laid my head on Andy's empty seat.

Brian shrugged and laid down on the couch. I looked over at John and Claire once more and saw that they were smiling at each other again. Great Gods, I just wanted this fucking day to be over.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

A little while later we all settled down and went up on one of the second story balconies to chill. John and Claire sat across from each other while the rest of us sat in a line against the railing. Brian was first, then Andrew, then me leaning on Allison who was last. We were all asking each other dumb questions to pass the time.

"What would I do for a million bucks?" Andrew started to answer Claire's question," Well, I guess I'd do as little as I had to."

"That's boring." Claire sighed.

"Well, how am I supposed to answer?" Andrew was confused.

"The idea is to like, search your mind for the absolute limit. Like uh, would you drive to school naked?" Claire explained.

"Um, uh...would I have to get out of the car?" Andrew laughed.

"Of course." Claire nodded.

"In the spring or winter?"

"Doesn't matter, spring." Claire said.

"In front of the school or in back of the school?" he asked.

"Either one." Claire shrugged.

"Yes." Andrew nodded, smiling.

"Hey lover, would you lay with sporto for a cool mil?" Bender was quick to pick on me but I wouldn't let him have his way.

"Yes! But I wouldn't need the money. I mean, look at these arms!" I smirked and squeezed Andy's biceps. He smiled smugly as Bender scowled. That seemed to shut him up.

"I'd do that! Drive to school naked I mean..." Allison quickly clarified before Andrew took it the wrong way, "I'll do anything sexual, I don't need a million dollars to do it either."

"You're lying." Claire clicked her tongue, disgusted.

"I already have. I've done just about everything there is, except a few things that are illegal. I'm a nymphomaniac!" Allison smirked proudly.

"Lie." Claire rolled her eyes.

"Are your parents aware of this?" Brian asked.

"The only person I told was my shrink." Allison mumbled.

"And what'd he do when you told him?" Andrew chimed in.

"He nailed me." she breathed.

"Very nice." Claire gagged and I laughed at her.

"I don't think that from a legal standpoint what he did can be construed as rape since I paid him." Allison pointed out.

"He's an adult!" Claire gasped but Allison was having fun.

"Yeah, he's married too!"

"Do you have any idea how completely gross that is?" Claire asked.

"Well the first few times-"

"First few times?" Claire interrupted her, "You mean he did it more than once?"

"Sure." Allison nodded, unphased.

"Are you crazy?" Claire asked.

"Obviously she's crazy if she's screwing her shrink..." Brian butted in.

"Have you ever done it?" Allison asked Claire.

"I don't even have a psychiatrist..." Claire sighed and I laughed.

"Have you ever done it with a normal person?" Allison rephrased.

"Now, didn't we already cover this?" Claire rolled her eyes.

"You never answered the question." John reminded her.

"Look, I'm not going to discuss my personal life with total strangers." she dismissed us.

"It's kinda a double edged sword, isn't it?" Allison poked at her.

"A what?"

"Well, if you say you haven't you're a prude. If you say you have, you're a slut! It's a trap. You want to but you can't and when you do you wish you didn't, right?" Allison explained.

"Wrong." Claire groaned.

"Or are you a tease?" Allison smirked.

"She's a tease." Andrew nodded.

"Oh why don't you just forget it!" Claire snapped.

"You're a tease and you know it! All girls are teases!" Andrew spat.

"She's only a tease if what she does gets you hot." Bender said.

"Do I make ya hot, sporto?" I smirked and rubbed Andrew's leg jokingly. He blushed and looked away.

"I don't do anything!" Claire snapped again.

"That's why you're a tease..." Allison smiled triumphantly.

"Ok, lemme ask you a few questions." Claire barked at her.

"I've already told you everything!" Allison gasped defensively.

"No! Doesn't it bother you to sleep around without being in love? I mean, don't you want any respect?" Claire asked.

"I don't screw to get respect." Allison answered plainly, "That's the difference between you and me."

"Not the only difference I hope." Claire rolled her eyes.

"Face it, you're a tease." Bender jumped on her.

"I'm not a tease!" Claire spat, annoyed.

"Sure you are! You said it yourself sex is a weapon. You use it to get respect." Bender pointed out.

"No, I never said that." Claire shook her head, "She twisted my words around."

"Oh, then what do you use it for?" Bender asked.

"I don't use it period!" Claire shouted, on the verge of tears.

"Oh, are you medically frigid or is it psychological?" Bender scoffed.

"I didn't mean it that way! You guys are putting words in my mouth!"

"Well, if you'd just answer the question..." Bender purred.

"Why don't you just answer the question?" Brian asked.

Everyone got on her case, begging her to answer the question as she looked around at us and considered what to do. Finally, she had had enough.

"NO! I NEVER DID IT!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, shutting us up.

Bender smirked at her before looking over at me and I shut him up real quick.

"No, I haven't done it either. And don't get any ideas, I'm saving it for someone I love." I snapped at him and Allison chimed in before Bender could respond.

"I never did it either. I'm not a nymphomaniac, I'm a compulsive liar!" she laughed.

"You are such a bitch!" Claire yelled, "You did that on purpose just to fuck me over!"

"I would do it though. If you love someone it's okay." Allison peeked over at Andrew who smiled at her.

"I can't believe you, you're so weird!" Claire scolded her, "You don't say anything all day and then when you open your mouth you unload all of these tremendous lies all over me!"

"You're just pissed off because she got you to admit something you didn't want to admit to." Andrew spat.

"Ok, fine, but that doesn't make it any less bizarre..."Claire sighed, defeated.

"What's bizarre? I mean we're all pretty bizarre! Some of us are just better at hiding it, that's all." Andrew said.

"That's true." I nodded.

"How are you bizarre, lover?" Bender pestered me again.

"I'm violent and I don't trust anyone. Had to physically fight bullies for the right to be myself and it caught up with me. I'm here today because I headbutted a richie into some lockers. In my defense, she was picking on a freshman." I shrugged. Everyone looked at me shocked but Bender smiled.

"Didn't see you as the vigilante type."

"You're just horrible! I can't believe you were the one to do that to Miranda!" Claire snapped at me.

"You wanna be next, princess?" I growled at her. She inhaled and blew me off to look at Andrew.

"How are you bizarre?"

"He can't think for himself." Allison answered for him, proving her point.

"She's right...do you guys know what I did to get in here? I taped Larry Lester's buns together." Andrew started. Claire laughed.

"That was you?" Brian asked.

"Yeah, you know him?" Andrew looked up.

"Yeah, I know him." Brian answered, angry.

"Well, then you know how hairy he is..." Andrew mumbled, ashamed.

He told us a story about how he humiliated the poor kid and how bad he felt because Larry had to go home to his dad and explain to him what happened. He asked us how he could ever apologize for that and told us how stupid he felt because he hurt Larry to live up to his father's standards. We learned that Andy's dad didn't see him as a son, rather, a robot programmed to win and meet all of his ludicrous expectations. Losing wasn't tolerated in the Clark household. Andrew then confided in us that he wished that his knee would give out so he didn't have to wrestle anymore and his dad could forget about him. He was crying by the end of his story. I leaned over and hugged him. I had no idea.

"I think your old man and my old man should get together and go bowling." Bender mumbled. Andrew laughed quietly.

I looked around at everyone who was nearly in tears and started to think. We didn't exactly get along, but maybe we weren't all that different after all.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Brian was the next to start to pour his heart out. It was weird how detention suddenly turned into a confessional.

"It's like me, you know, with my grades. Like, when I, when I step outside myself kinda, and when I, when I look in at myself, you know? And I see me and I don't like what I see. I really don't." he said sadly.

"What's wrong with you? Why don't you like yourself?" Claire asked.

"'Cause I'm stupid... 'cause I'm failing shop."

Brian went on to explain that he had eight weeks to make a ceramic elephant lamp that was supposed to light up when you pulled on the trunk. But no matter how hard he tried he couldn't get the light to turn on. That was his first F and he was real disappointed in himself because he took shop as a safe course, thinking it would be easy.

"Why'd you think it'd be easy?" Bender asked.

"Have you seen some of the dopes that take shop?" Brian returned his question.

"I take shop, you must be a fucking idiot!" Bender spat, offended.

"I'm a fucking idiot because I can't make a lamp?" Brian scoffed.

"No, you're a genius because you can't make a lamp." Bender growled sarcastically.

"What do you know about trigonometry?" Brian countered.

"I could care less about trigonometry."

"Bender, did you know that without trigonometry there'd be no engineering?" Brian asked, appalled.

"Without lamps, there'd be no light!" John put him in his place.

"Okay, so neither of you is any better than the other one." Claire stopped them.

"I can write with my toes!" Allison chimed in, taking the conversation in a positive direction, "I can also eat, brush my teeth, play Heart & Soul on the piano..."

"With your feet?" Claire asked and Allison nodded.

"I can make spaghetti." Brian smiled.

"What can you do?" Claire asked Andrew.

"I can uh...tape all your buns together." he laughed.

"I can write some pretty awesome fiction." I blushed.

"I wanna see what Claire can do!" Bender said.

"I can't do anything." Claire shook her head.

"Now, everybody can do something." John nodded his head.

"There's one thing I can do...no forget it. It's way too embarrassing." she blushed.

"You ever see Wild Kingdom? I mean that guy's been doing that show for thirty years." Bender pointed out.

"Okay, but you have to swear to God you won't laugh...I can't believe I'm actually doing this..." she mumbled.

Bender swore as she pulled out a tube of lipstick and placed it in her cleavage. She then bent her head down and applied the lipstick with her boobs. When she looked back up her make up was perfect. We all clapped, but Bender's clap was slow and sarcastic.

"Alright, great! Where'd you learn to do that?" Andrew asked.

"Camp, seventh grade." Claire admitted.

"That was great Claire. My image of you is totally blown." Bender groaned and Claire wiped off the lipstick, ashamed.

"You're a shit!" Allison yelled at him, "Don't do that to her, you swore to God you wouldn't laugh!"

"Am I laughing?" Bender asked.

"You fucking prick!" Andrew spat. Bender turned and looked him right in the eye.

"What do you care what I think anyway? I don't even count, right? I could disappear forever and it wouldn't make any difference. I may as well not even exist at this school, remember?" Bender growled before turning to Claire, "And you don't like me anyway!"

"You know, I have just as many feelings as you do and it hurts just as much when somebody steps all over them!" Claire cried.

"God, you're so pathetic." Bender was furious now, "Don't you _ever_ , _EVER_ compare yourself to me, okay? You got everything and I got shit! Fucking Rapunzel, right? School would probably fucking shut down if you didn't show up! _Queenie isn't here_! I like those earrings, Claire."

"Shut up..." she mumbled.

"Are those real diamonds, Claire?" he kept on.

"Shut up!" she said a little louder.

"I bet they are. Did you work for the money for those earrings? Or did your daddy buy those?" John asked.

"Shut up!" she shouted and kicked him, tears now streaming down her face.

"I bet he bought those for you! I bet they were a Christmas gift, right? You know what I got for Christmas this year? It was a banner fucking year at the old Bender family! I got a carton of cigarettes. The old man grabbed me and said _hey, smoke up Johnny_! Okay, so go home and cry to your daddy, don't cry here okay?" Bender tore her a new asshole.

No one said anything for a moment. And although I was enjoying Claire getting put in her place, a part of me still felt bad for her. Bender was right but he didn't need to be so harsh. Either way, I hoped that now they were done with each other.

"My God, are we going to be like our parents?" Andrew asked.

"Not me, ever..." Claire mumbled as she wiped a tear away.

"It's unavoidable, it just happens..." Allison said.

"What happens?" Claire asked.

"When you grow up, your heart dies."

"Who cares?" Bender scoffed.

"I care..." Allison whispered as she started to cry. I rested my head on her shoulder and tried to hold back tears.

"I care too..."

I locked eyes with John and when he saw that I was crying his face softened. I wanted to run over to him and bury my face in his chest but instead I squeezed Allison's arm as she held me. Brian soon broke the silence.

"Um, I was just thinking. I mean, I know it's kinda a weird time, but I was just wondering. Um, what is going to happen to us on Monday? When we're all together again? I mean, I consider you guys my friends. I'm not wrong, am I?"

"No." Andrew shook his head.

"So, so on Monday... what happens?" Brian asked.

"Are we still friends, you mean? If we're friends now, that is?" Claire looked up.

"Yeah..." Brian nodded.

"Do you want the truth?" Claire asked.

"Yeah, I want the truth." Brian watched her.

"I don't think so..." Claire shook her head.

"Well, do you mean all of us, or just John?" Allison sniffled.

"With all of you..." Claire mumbled.

"That's fine, none of us wanna be friends with a stuck up bitch anyways!" I spat.

"That's a real nice attitude, Claire!" Andy backed me up.

"Oh be honest Andy. If Brian came walking up to you in the hall on Monday, what would you do? I mean picture this, you're there with all the sports. I know exactly what you'd do, you'd say hi to him and when he left you'd cut him up so all of your friends wouldn't think you really liked him!" Claire rolled her eyes.

"No way!" Andrew snapped.

"Okay, what if I came up to you?" Allison asked Claire.

"Same exact thing." Claire sighed.

"YOU ARE A BITCH!" Bender shouted.

"And a fucking coward!" I added.

"Why? 'Cause I'm telling the truth? That makes me a bitch?" Claire snapped.

"No! 'Cause you know how shitty that is to do to someone! And you don't got the balls to stand up to your friends and tell 'em that you're gonna like who you wanna like!" Bender kept yelling.

"Alright, what about you? You hypocrite!" Claire countered, "Why don't you take Lindsay or Allison to one of your heavy metal vomit parties? Or take Brian out to the parking lot at lunch to get high? What about Andy for that matter? What about me? What would your friends say if we were walking down the hall together? They'd laugh their asses off and you would probably tell them that you were doing it with me so they'd forgive you for being seen with me!"

"Don't you ever talk about my friends!" fire was burning in Bender's throat, "You don't know any of my friends, you don't look at any of my friends and you certainly wouldn't condescend to speak to any of my friends! So you just stick to the things you know, shopping, nail polish, your father's BMW and you poor, rich, drunk mother in the Caribbean!"

"Shut up!" Claire cried and kicked him again.

"And as far as being concerned about what's going to happen when you and I walk down the hallways at school, you can forget it! 'Cause it's never gonna happen! Just bury your head in the sand and wait for your fucking prom!" John finished.

"I hate you!" Claire sobbed.

"Yeah? Good!" Bender shouted back.

The room went silent when their bad break up was over. Good, now I knew for sure that they were done with each other. Brian broke the silence again.

"Then I assume Allison, Lindsay and I are better people than you guys, huh? Us weirdos...Do you, would you do that to me?" he looked at Allison and I.

"Never. You're my sweetheart, remember?" I smiled, my face still wet with tears.

"I don't have any friends..." Allison sighed.

"Well, if you did?" Brian laughed.

"No, I don't think the kind of friends I'd have would mind." Allison smiled.

"I just wanna tell each of you, that I wouldn't do that. I wouldn't and I will not! 'Cause I think that's real shitty..." Brian sniffled.

"Your friends wouldn't mind because they look up to us..." Claire dared to speak again.

"None of us look up to any of you, I can tell ya that much!" I growled. Brian let out a hysteric laugh.

"You're so conceited Claire! You're so conceited. You're so like, full of yourself. Why are you like that?"

"I'm not saying it to be conceited!" she was crying again, "I hate it! I hate having to go along with everything my friends say!"

"Well, then why do you do it?" Brian asked.

"I don't know. I don't...you don't understand, you don't. You're not friends with the same kind of people that Andy and I are friends with! You know, you just don't understand the kind of pressure that they can put on you!" she explained.

"I don't understand what? You think I don't understand pressure, Claire? Well fuck you! Fuck you!" Brian buried his head in his arm and started to sob, "Know why I'm in here today? Do you? I'm here because Mr. Ryan found a gun in my locker..."

"Why'd you have a gun in your locker?" Andrew asked.

"I tried...you pull the fucking trunk on it and the light's supposed to go on, and it didn't go on. I mean, I..." Brian kept crying.

"What was the gun for, Brian?" Andrew asked sternly.

"Just forget it..." Brian mumbled.

"You brought it up, man!"

"I can't have an F. I can't have it and I know my parents can't have it! Even if I aced the rest of the semester, I'm still only a B and everything is ruined for me!" Brian explained.

"Oh Brian..." Claire sighed with pity. Brian knocked the chair over next to him in anger.

"So I considered my options, you know?"

"No! Killing yourself is not an option!" Claire cried.

"Well I didn't do it, did I?" Brian snapped at her, as if she cared, "No, I don't think so!"

"It was a hand gun?" Allison asked.

"No, it was a flare gun. It went off in my locker."

"Really?" Andrew started to laugh but he coughed to try and hide it. We all started to laugh.

"It's not funny..." Brian mumbled but after a moment he started to laugh too, "Yes it is...fucking elephant was destroyed!"

"You wanna know what I did to get in here?" Allison asked, "Nothing, I didn't have anything better to do."

We all laughed.

"You're laughing at me..." Allison mumbled.

"No!" Andrew shook his head and continued to laugh.

"Yeah, you are!" Allison joined in on the laughter.

We all howled with giggles and laughter, unable to contain ourselves. It felt good to finally get everything out on the table. You couldn't get better therapy if you paid for it.


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you shadygrl91 for following me, you made my day :) Also, I apologize in advance for this chapter being a little short. I needed to cut it off right where it ends because some pretty important stuff happens in the next chapter that needs to start in the parking lot. Thanks for understanding and enjoy!**

 **Chapter Twelve**

Feeling better and closer, we moved back down to the tables and Brian put on a record. Karla DeVito's "We Are Not Alone" blared throughout the library and we began to dance without a care. Claire and Brian were dancing by themselves, flaring their arms and kicking their legs. Bender was head banging and Andrew was playing the air guitar. Allison and I were dancing together. We then took turns dancing on the bookcases. First, the three boys and then the three girls before we all separated again to dance wildly on our own. As the song ended, Allison flailed around before flopping down on the floor. The song ended and we all exchanged smiles, it felt good.

We then realized that there was only about 45 minutes left of detention, so Bender started to say his goodbyes before he crawled back up into the ceiling and left. I was sad that he didn't say anything special to me. Maybe I didn't have a chance after all.

When Bender was gone we all went over to the railing and sat down. Andrew and Allison were on my right and Claire and Brian were on my left. We were silent for about a millisecond.

"Brian?" Claire suddenly asked.

"Yeah?"

"Are you gonna write your paper?" Claire looked to him.

"Yeah, why?" Brian rose his eyebrow.

"Well, it's kinda a waste for all of us to write our papers, don't you think?"

"Oh, but that's what Vernon wanted us to do..." Brian mumbled.

"True, but I think we'd all kinda say the same thing." Claire smiled.

"You just don't wanna write your paper, right?" Brian asked.

"True, but you're the smartest, right?" Claire winked at him, trying to turn on the charm.

"Oh, well..." Brian laughed with pride.

"We trust you." Claire sang.

Brian looked over at the rest of us and we nodded in approval.

"Yeah." Andrew said.

"Alright, I'll do it..." Brian agreed.

"I'll help you." I offered.

"It's okay, I got it." Brian smiled before hopping off of the rail and going to sit at a table.

Claire then gave Allison and I a weird smile before grabbing our hands.

"Come on." she ordered and I yanked my hand away.

"Uh-uh, no thank you. I know what that look means and I want nothing to do with it!" I refused.

"Where are we going?" Allison asked.

"Just come on!" Claire laughed and dragged Allison away.

Andrew scooted closer to me.

"So...what are you doing later?" he asked shyly.

"Probably getting my ass beat 'cause I didn't tell my dad where I was. But, after that nothing comes to mind." I smirked.

"Wanna go to Stubbie's party with me?" he asked with kind of a puppy pout. For a moment I considered but instead I laughed.

"I want you to take Allison." I said.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." I sighed and nodded, "Look sporto, you're gorgeous, but you're meant to be with Allison, really."

"I think so too, sorry. It's just that you're easier to talk to. I don't know what to say to her." he confessed.

"I'm sure she'll love to hear anything. Just take her to the party. That can be an icebreaker." I suggested.

"That's a good idea." he nodded, "Thanks."

Allison suddenly came back into the room, looking like a fallen angel. Claire had redone her make up, making it look lighter, and she gave her a head band to pull her hair back so we could see her face. She was also wearing a pretty white tank instead of her oversized black sweater. She looked amazing. She walked over to Andrew and I left to give them their space. As I sat down next to Brian, I noticed Claire dipping out of the library.

"How's the paper going?" I asked.

"Real well, although I'm struggling with one part." Brian admitted.

"Oh?"

"Well, we all kinda have a name, see? Claire is the princess, Andrew is the athlete, Bender is the criminal, Allison is the basket case and I'm the nerd. But, who are you, Lindsay?" he asked me. I gave it a little thought before smiling.

"The lover."

"That's actually perfect!" Brian smiled as he scribbled down a few more things, "There, all done!"

He kissed the paper and then we high fived.

When Claire returned she announced that detention was officially over. Thankful, we went to gather our coats and backpacks before we left the library. It was bittersweet. All day I wanted nothing more than to go home, but now I wished I could have stayed forever. I was going to miss them.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

Allison and Andrew walked down the hall hand in hand. I was so happy for her. Claire walked in the front alone and I walked in the back with Brian. Bender joined us a moment later and wrapped his arm around Claire's waist. My jaw almost hit the floor. What the hell had happened? I then remembered that Claire had dipped out of the library before. That whore! Before I could do or say anything we ran into Carl again who was sweeping the floor. Brian nodded to him.

"See ya, Brian." Carl waved.

"Bye Carl." Brian answered.

"See you next Saturday!" Bender said to Carl.

Hearing his voice stung and I felt like I was going to puke. How had I lost to that bitch? Brian noticed that I looked a little sick and he patted my back, concerned.

"I'm okay." I mumbled.

"You sure?" he asked.

"I'm sure." I assured him, but on the inside I was screaming.

When we got out to the front of the school I gave Brian a hug. He squeezed me tight.

"Bye sweetheart, see you on Monday!" I grinned.

"See ya." Brian smiled and blushed before he got in the car with his dad and drove off.

Andrew's dad pulled up and Allison walked him down. They kissed sweetly and I laughed as I saw Allison pull a patch off of Andy's jacket and shove it in her purse. Allison then got in her parents car and Andy got in his dad's truck and they both left.

I then watched Claire give Bender one of her diamond earrings, a symbol of their passion. Bender then leaned down and kissed her. My heart crumbled as they broke apart and she left in her father's BMW. I stood there frozen in place as Bender put the earring in. He then noticed me standing there.

"Hey lover, where's your parents?"

I snapped back to reality before scowling and stomping passed him. He didn't seem to like that, so he grabbed my arm and spun me back around. I yanked my arm away from him, furious.

"Would you just fuck off?" I shouted at him.

"Hey, what's your fucking problem?" he snapped.

"Just go back to your princess and leave me the fuck alone!" I growled.

"What are you being such a bitch for? Are you jealous of Claire?" he asked.

"Not one bit, you guys are fucking great together. Queenie and her ankle biting hound!" I spat.

"Clearly you're upset about it, which doesn't make any sense because you don't fucking like me!" he shouted.

"Yes I do!" I shouted back and then I groaned and rolled my eyes once I realized what I had said. God damn it. Bender looked at me confused.

"You ignored me all day after we started smoking..."

"That's 'cause you jammed your dirty face up Claire's skirt!" I gritted my teeth.

"That wasn't my finest moment, I must admit." he mumbled, ashamed.

"I don't know, seems like you got what you wanted." I said.

"I wanted you..." he almost whispered.

"Bullshit!" I shouted, holding back a few tears, 'cause my dumb ass cried when I was angry.

"No, really. I'm sorry, I guess I got the signals mixed up and I shouldn't have went up her skirt. I should have went up yours, you know, if you were wearing one..." he apologized.

"You're such an ass!" I shook my head and turned around to leave.

"Hey, come on, wait!" he called after me and I stopped, "Let me make it up to you, I'll drop Claire and walk you home."

"Yeah, like I trust that. You said it yourself in the library, you're not a one woman kinda man."

"I can change, I swear. Just give me a chance." he pleaded, "You're a once in a lifetime girl."

"You don't even know me!" I groaned.

"So let me get to know you!" he threw his arms out to his sides.

I looked back at him and into his eyes. No matter how much I wanted to deny it, there was sincerity in them. My stomach churned. I wanted so badly for him to be mine but I was so afraid to trust him.

"Fine." I mumbled, defeated, "But I don't give second chances!"

"I won't need it!" he smiled and jogged to catch up with me, "Can I hold your hand, lover?"

I looked down at his out stretched palm and blushed.

"I guess..." I mumbled and he laced his fingers with mine, "But I want to make it clear that I'm not your girl, yet. You have a lot of ass kissing to do."

"Yes, dear." he smiled and bent down to kiss my forehead before we started walking.

We walked along in silence for a while. I didn't know what to say to him. Honestly, I was still in awe that he was even walking with me. He looked down at me a few times before finally speaking.

"So, where do you live?"

"It's just three blocks." I mumbled.

"Kinda disappointing..." he mumbled back, "You could come to my place so we could hang out longer."

"I would, but I'm probably in enough trouble as it is. And I don't think you're parents would like me." I sighed shyly.

"Fuck my parents." he growled.

A few minutes later we were on the front porch of my house. We stood there awkwardly for a moment, unsure of how to say goodbye.

"Can I...kiss you?" he asked.

"No." I shook my head and smiled, "But, I'll let you kiss my cheek."

He blushed and leaned down to kiss my cheek. Right before he made contact, the front door swung open revealing my father, his face red with fury.

"Where the hell were you all day?" he barked, his breath reeking of beer.

"Detention." I stuttered in fear.

"Detention? Are you fucking kidding me? Get in here!" he ordered.

"Yes, sir." I nodded and followed him into the house.

My dad forgot to close the door so Bender let himself in. My dad spun around to face me, his hand raised.

"You worthless little bitch! You get detention and then you lie to me about it? I guess I didn't knock enough sense into you the last time..."

He swung his hand at me but Bender caught it.

"Now, now, none of that." Bender shook his head calmly, "Lindsay, get your stuff."

"What?" I gasped.

"Get your stuff, you're coming home with me. Hurry up." he ordered.

I ran into my room as my dad and Bender got into a shouting match. I grabbed everything I thought I would need as fast as I could and went back into the living room.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, sir." Bender smirked before grabbing my hand.

He then led me out of the house and we raced away from my dad, my heart pounding with shock and confusion.


	14. Chapter 14

**Thank you Mara for the lovely review. I'm excited to take this story in my own direction too. You put me in such a good mood that I wrote up the next chapter right away just for you. :) Enjoy!  
**

 **Chapter Fourteen**

We ran until he was out of sight. Being the drunk that he was, I didn't have to worry about my dad chasing after us. We slowed down to a walk and caught our breath.

"Thank you." I huffed.

"Anything for my lover." he breathed and bent down to kiss me but I stopped him with my hand.

"Nuh-uh, you got a lot more ass kissing to do." I swallowed, trying to breathe. We were really out of shape.

"Alright, alright." he laughed and pulled out a pack of smokes before offering me one.

"Please." I nodded and slipped one out of the pack, "So, where do _you_ live?"

"Not too far, actually." he replied and lit up his cigarette.

"And your parents won't mind?" I took a drag of my own.

"They can suck my ass." he grunted.

"Bender, really, if this is too much trouble you can drop me and go back to Claire. I don't want to be a burden." I sighed.

"Lover, you're not a burden." he purred, "Besides, Claire would never understand this shit, you do. I need that."

He reached down and held my hand again. Butterflies tumbled in my chest but doubt tugged at my heart.

"Why, John?" I asked.

"Why what?"

"Why me?" I mumbled.

He stopped dead and turned to face me before putting his hands on my shoulders.

"Look darling, I get it. Bullies and your loser old man gave you shit self esteem, but you gotta trust me. I want to worship the ground you walk on. So head up, 'kay? You're fine, I want you around." he reassured me.

"H-how do you know how I feel?" I pushed out.

"Let's just say I've been there." he said and started to lead me down the street again.

A moment later we arrived at a red brick house. Bender hid me behind his back and we shimmied to the back yard. He opened the cellar door and when I gave him a weird look he told me that his room was in the basement. I let it go and followed him down the stairs. We went through a few musty storage rooms filled with junk before we reached his bedroom.

The brick walls were painted a bright red and covered in heavy metal posters. There was a built in closet that was propped open, a bed dressed in a blue and green flannel sheet and a comforter, a night stand with a clock and a full ash tray on it, and finally, a teenie tiny tv on a crooked tv tray. Clothes also covered the floor and he led me through them to get to his bed.

"Sorry, like I said, my maid is on vacation." he said, embarrassed.

"I don't mind it, it's very you." I winked at him. He laughed.

I sat down on the bed and he shuffled over to his closet to pull out two cans of root bear and a bag of BBQ potato chips. He then came and sat down next to me and handed me one of the sodas.

"So what do you want to do?" he asked. When he turned to me the sun bounced off of Claire's diamond earring and I sighed.

"This." I said and reached over to gently pull it out of his ear. I set it on his night stand and he chuckled.

"Forgot about that."

"It's okay." I smiled and awkwardly opened my soda.

"You know, you don't have to be perfect around me all the time." he said, noting my nervousness.

"I don't even try, I just am." I giggled and took a sip of my soda.

He said nothing. Instead he smiled and kept staring at me. After a minute that felt like an hour, I groaned.

"What?"

"You're just so beautiful." he shook his head.

"Laying it on a little thick there, huh?" I rose my eyebrow.

"Is it working?" he smirked.

"Yes." I nodded and blushed. My face felt like it was on fire, but in a good way.

He leaned in to try and kiss me again and this time I didn't want to stop him. I felt his sweet, warm breath on my lips and I closed my eyes, anticipating the pure bliss. But it never came. Instead, a screechy middle aged woman came clopping down the stairs.

Her hair was black and frizzy and partially in rollers, her make up a few days old and her pajamas were worn. She flopped down the stairs at great speed, a bony index finger pointed right at John.

"Who did you bring in my house this time? Do you want another ass whoopin' from your dad for both of us?" her voice was shaky but angry.

"Cool it ma, okay? This is Lindsay, she's going to live down here with me for a bit so _her_ dad doesn't fuck _her_ up, okay? Don't worry about dad, I'll take care of it. Just keep your mouth shut, okay? Please?" John explained.

"Johnny..." his mom sighed. I stood up to shake her hand.

"I promise I won't be a burden, Mrs. Bender, I swear." I bowed as she shook my hand, "I'll cook and clean and help you with whatever you need when I don't need to be hiding from your husband."

"Well, it's about time you brought home a good one." she eyed John up before looking at me, "Alright, you can stay, but if my husband finds you I can't help you. I'm sorry."

"You gotta at least try to keep him from coming down here. Damn it, ma!" John groaned.

"I'll do my best. Now you better get outta here before he gets home. You know he hates seeing you right after work." she warned.

"Spot me a twenty for some grub?" he asked her.

"Ten." she spat.

"Fifteen." he said sternly.

"Alright, fine." she huffed and gave him the cash, "Now get going!"

I hugged her as a thank you, which she wasn't expecting but didn't seem to mind. I then turned and followed Bender back out the cellar door. What a God damn day this was turning out to be.


	15. Chapter 15

**I'm falling more and more in love with Bender as I write these, I hope you guys are too :)**

 **Chapter Fifteen**

John took me to a small bar that was empty except for three alternative looking teenage males at a table and an elderly couple at the bar. The bar was pretty dimly lit for it being only late afternoon and the music was quiet. This place looked run down and sad, which is probably why kids could get away with drinking here.

"What do you want to eat?" John asked.

"Anything is fine as long as it doesn't have veggies." I said and kissed his cheek, "I'm gonna go use the pay phone."

He nodded and I went to the back of the bar before fishing through my pockets for some change. I pushed the coins into the slot and dialed. A female answered.

"Hello?"

"Brit, it's Lindsay." I started.

"Well it's about time! I've been trying to get a hold of you all day!" she gasped.

"So I take it our plan didn't work?" I asked.

"No, my dad got to the phone before I could. I'm sorry." she mumbled.

"It's cool. So, uh, long story short, do you remember John Bender?"

"Yes..." her tone was suspicious.

"So, we hit it off in detention, whatever, and he asked to walk me home so I let him and when we got there my dad tried to hit me and Bender stopped him. So anyways, I ran away and I'm hiding at Bender's now. Just thought you should know, and no, he's not my boyfriend." I explained.

"You're sleeping at Bender's house and he's not your boyfriend?" she asked and I laughed at that being the only thing she cared about.

"No, but he wants to be. I'll tell you everything in detail on Monday. I just wanted you to know I was okay."

"Alright." she sighed, disappointed that she had to wait, "Be safe, love you!"

"Love you too! Bye." I slammed the phone down harder that I had wanted to. Oops.

When I went back out into the bar I saw that Bender was sitting with the teenagers. They were drinking but he wasn't. Instead, he was munching on some fries. When he noticed me he motioned me over.

"Come meet the guys, lover." he said as I walked over, "This is Acey, Michael and Squeaks."

I looked to each of them and nodded with a smile. Acey was skinny with a blue Mohawk. Michael was a bit more built with long black hair and Squeaks was short and twitchy looking with buzzed green hair. They looked intimidating but they seemed nice.

"This is my lover." Bender said to them.

"He means Lindsay." I corrected him and sat down.

They welcomed me and Bender slid a plate of nachos my way. I thanked him and started to eat.

"So what's going down tonight?" Bender asked them.

"We could go to the metal club I guess." Michael suggested.

"I got more weed." Squeaks added, "You want in, Lindsay?"

"No thank you." I mumbled and covered my mouth to chew.

"Suit yourself." Squeaks shrugged and took a sip of his beer.

"We could go to the club or we could go give Stubby some more hell, that privileged shit." Acey growled.

"Andrew is taking Allison there." I whispered to Bender, "I don't want to ruin their first date."

"We'll go to the club." Bender told his friends, "We'll have some drinks, get high and listen to some good music before I have to go home and fight my old man."

"Alright, let's go then." Michael said before he knocked back his beer.

We all left the bar and got into Acey's red Dodge Charger before he sped off. He took us to a run down metal building with steel doors and a neon sign that flashed "Rusty Grate". How charming. I was a little nervous because I had never been to a club before and I didn't like large groups of people, but I sucked it up anyway and grabbed Bender's hand before he led me inside.

It was loud. So loud that I cringed as Bender and his friends pushed through the crowd to find an empty table. We found a booth in the back and sat down. Feeling out of place, I scooted as close as I could to John and he put his arm around me.

"What do you want to drink?" he asked.

"Water..." I whispered.

"You sure? You don't wanna try a cocktail or something?" he looked to me. I didn't want to explain to him that I never wanted to drink because of my dad, so I just shook my head.

"Nope, water is fine."

"No booze and no drugs? Does she do anything fun?" Squeaks's voice cracked as he spoke and I realized how he got his name.

"Some people are intelligent." John spat at him.

A waitress came by and took our order. Acey tried to flirt with her but he was shot down. She left and Squeaks took out a joint and lit it before taking a big hit. He coughed a little as he exhaled, the smoke surrounding us. He then passed it to Michael.

"So what music do you like?" Michael asked before he took a hit. He seemed to notice my uneasiness.

"David Bowie is my favorite, but I love Def Leppard too." I said and watched him pass the joint to Acey. He exhaled before answering.

"That's cool, man. They'll play Def Leppard here, you just have to ask." Michael said kindly.

"Maybe." I smiled as Acey passed the joint to John.

I watched him intently as he took a hit. He held his breath for a moment or two before he slowly exhaled and suddenly I became curious. I remembered John laughing with Claire and Brian in detention and how jazzed up Andy got when he was high. Maybe it wasn't so bad after all. Besides, what did I have to lose? Before Bender could pass it back to Squeaks, I gently took the joint from him and put it to my lips.

"You sure, doll?" he asked and watched me, curious. I nodded and took a hit and then he put his hand over my mouth, "It's not like a cig, you gotta hold it, 'kay? Ready? Three...two...one..."

He took his hand away and I coughed a bit as I exhaled. I blushed, I probably looked like a moron.

"There you go!" Michael gave me a thumbs up. He seriously was the nicest of the three.

All of the sudden I felt really mellow, like nothing mattered anymore. A strange, bubbly feeling rose in my chest and I couldn't stop myself from giggling. The bar started to look a lot better, and I just felt like moving.

"You okay, dear?" John asked me.

"I'm fucking great, thanks." I giggled and got up.

I walked over to the Dj, suddenly finding my courage, and motioned to him.

"How about some Def Leppard, mate?" I asked.

"You got it!" he nodded and changed the record.

"Rocket" started to blast from the speakers and I began to dance and sing. The music took me over and it felt so good. I felt free.

I turned around and saw John walking towards me, a big grin plastered on his handsome face. He grabbed my hips and moved with me, our bodies completely in sync. It felt amazing. He pulled me closer and when our chest's pressed together I gasped. He was warm and smelled of cigarette and musk. I was overwhelmed by it, it engulfed me and I found myself wanting all of him right then and there.

"Bringing on the Heartbreak" started to play and we slowed down, swaying side to side. I placed my head on his chest and he placed on of his hands on my back before grabbing my butt with the other. My heart raced as my body tingled. I gave up all control then and reached up to kiss him. He saw this and started to lean down, but our kiss was interrupted _again_ when a pair of cops burst through the front doors.

"Alright, ID check!" one of them shouted.

"Fuck, run!" John groaned and pushed me towards the back door.

We regrouped with his friends before we all bolted out the back door and into Acey's car. He sped off right as we all got in and when I realized that we were in the clear I laughed uncontrollably.

"That was amazing!" I half shouted. John chuckled and kissed my forehead.

Acey stopped in front of John's house and John kicked at a six pack of beer that was on the floor.

"Acey, man. I'll give you four bucks for these." he said.

"Yeah man, whatever. I need more cigarettes anyways." Acey shrugged.

John paid him and grabbed the beer as we said our goodbyes and got out of the car. The guys left and I followed John to the cellar door.

"Go on ahead, I'll be right down." he opened the door.

I made my way down stairs and tried to get to the bed. It was pretty late so it was pitch black. I struggled to find the light but I eventually got it. I then heard John come in the front door upstairs.

"Didn't I tell you to get your ass straight home after detention, dumbass?" a male voice boomed. I assumed it was his dad.

"Yeah, but I figured I'd get ya a gift so you'd settle down and shut the fuck up!" John yelled back and I heard him drop the six pack on the floor.

"Well aren't you thoughtful? Get the fuck outta my face!" his dad spat.

Bender appeared in the basement a moment later.

"He won't bother us now." he smiled and made his way towards me.

He sat down next to me and I looked into his beautiful, Earth colored eyes.

"What?" he asked.

"You're just so damn handsome." I smirked. He laughed.

Before he could reply I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his. He melted into my arms and deepened the kiss. My body felt like it was on fire and I thought I was going to pass out. I pressed myself into him, wanting more, but he kissed me sweetly and pulled away before we could go too far. I pouted.

"So, are you mine now?" he whispered.

"Hmm..." I pretended to ponder my options, "Yes."

He grinned and kissed me again.

"Lucky me."

A little while later we changed into our pajamas, separately, and then laid together on his bed. I put my head on his chest.

"Goodnight, lover." he purred and kissed my forehead.

"Goodnight." I gently kissed his neck.

John fell asleep right away but it took me a little bit. This is not where I expected to be right now, but I couldn't say I minded it.


	16. Chapter 16

**Couldn't sleep worth shit, so here's another one on me. Btw, thank you decadenceofmysoul for the lovely reviews! (So Sorry if I spelled your username wrong 3)**

 **Chapter Sixteen**

"Hey Johnny!" his dad howled down the stairs the next morning.

John shot up and put the blanket over my head. I muffled a groan.

"What?" John shouted.

"I'm going in for some overtime, that fucking grass better be cut by the time I get back!" his dad ordered and slammed the basement door.

"Whatever." John yawned and laid back down.

I popped my head out of the covers and took a breath of fresh air. When I looked around I remembered that I was in John's room. Oh God, I probably looked horrible. I tried to smooth my hair out but John pulled me back down.

"Knock it off." he mumbled and buried his face in my neck. I felt my face flush beet red.

I laid there and stared at the ceiling, there was no way I was going to be able to fall back asleep. I tried to look down at him, but I could only see the top of his head, so I gently ran my fingers through his soft hair. He let out a small moan and I almost jumped. I stopped touching his hair and he looked up at me, disappointed.

"Not feeling cuddly today?" he asked.

"I don't know how I feel right now." I said. He propped himself up on his elbows.

"What do you mean?"

"No, no, I still want to be your girlfriend. It's just, yesterday felt like a dream is all." I explained.

"Why?" he cocked his head to the side.

"I'm just shocked. I went through three years of no one knowing who I was and now I'm dating the king of the criminals." I tried to make him understand.

"I know, it's a lot to take in." he smirked and winked at me.

"Someone's full of themselves." I laughed.

"Hello, have you seen me?" he asked and pointed to his chest. I then realized that he had taken off his shirt at some point last night and was now revealing his rock hard abs. I almost drooled.

"Are you trying to kill me?" I asked.

"Nah, but come on. I showed you mine, now show me yours." he pointed at my chest. I fake gasped and pulled the covers up to my shoulders and he smiled, "I'm just kidding!"

"In time, young Skywalker." I stuck my tongue out.

"Oh, you did not just reference Star Wars!" he groaned.

"Get used to it, you're dating a sexy nerd!" I laughed and leaned down to give him an Eskimo kiss.

He pulled me closer and kissed my lips.

"I think I can handle it."

He then rolled on top of me and kissed from my lips down into my neck. I froze as he trailed kisses back up to my lips.

"So..." he half moaned, "What do you want to do today?"

"You have to mow the lawn." I reminded him, my nerves eating me up.

"You know, that is so sexy. I'll get right on that!" he nodded.

He went to get up but I pulled him back down on top of me.

"I'm sorry, I'm just scared. I've never been passed kissing..."

"It's okay, I'll slow down. That was my bad." he smiled and brushed a strand of hair out of my face, "I'm going to get that lawn done and then we'll find somewhere to hang, okay?"

"Yeah." I nodded.

He kissed me and helped me out of bed. He went to his closet to get dressed, which I should have been doing, but I couldn't stop watching him. He slid off his pajama pants and I groaned on the inside. His body was to die for. I watched him slide on a pair of jeans and a black tee shirt before he looked back at me.

"What are you doing?" he laughed.

I shook my head and came back into the moment.

"What?"

"Oh, I see. Your turn, pervert! Let's see your body." he smirked.

I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"You know what? Fine." I said and stood up.

I removed my pajama top and bottoms and spun in a circle slowly to let him see my plain black bra and thong, though I knew that wasn't what he was looking at. I was a lot curvier than Claire. He bit his lip, confirming my thoughts.

"Get dressed before I make you scream my name!" he laughed, blushing.

"Awe, but Johnny..." I put on a sexy pout to tease him.

"God damn it woman, I'm begging you!" he covered his eyes and turned to try and hide the bulge in his jeans.

"So sorry, darling." I giggled and put on a black tank top and a pair of jeans, "Okay?"

He turned back around.

"No, it's a God damn shame." he bit his fist.

"Alright, cool it hot rod." I blushed.

"Yes, right. Let's go."

We went upstairs and John went out the back door to cut the grass. I made my way to the living room to look for his mom.

"Good morning?" I said quietly.

"What do you need, hun?" she answered.

"How can I help today?" I asked.

"You can clean the kitchen if you really want to." she pointed behind me.

"Will do." I nodded and turned around.

I groaned to myself. It was a fucking mess. There was shit everywhere. It was going to take me all day to clean this, but I was going to stick to my word. Sighing, I started on the dishes.

I could see John through the kitchen window. He was singing another guitar riff as he pushed the mower along. I chuckled to myself and went back to the dishes.

When he was done he came in and helped me finish up the kitchen, which surprised the hell out of his mom. She gave him a twenty and then we left. We ended up spending the rest of the day walking through the mall with Michael and Squeaks. Acey stayed home to nurse a hangover. We had a pretty good time, and when night fell we returned to John's house and stripped down before getting back in bed.

"You know, you're not as bad as I thought you would be." I said as I snuggled up to him, "You were so harsh at school."

"I'm just good at putting people in their place." he yawned and wrapped his arms around me.

"I suppose they did deserve a reality check."

"Mhmm..." he started to nod off.

I smiled and kissed his cheek. I ran my fingers through his hair and closed my eyes to try and sleep myself, but it took a long while. I was so nervous for school tomorrow. Literally anything could happen and I didn't know if I was ready for it.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

Monday morning started out pretty good. John walked me to school and we goofed off while we had a smoke. Turns out he really liked to pinch my butt.

When we got to school we tossed the butts at the door and he walked me to my locker. Brit was there waiting for me, her arms crossed.

"Hey, I'll see you later at lunch. I have to go take care of something." John said and gave me a quick kiss before he left.

"Okay, _now_ what did I miss?" Brit groaned.

"I have a boyfriend." I beamed.

"Oh really?" she smiled sarcastically.

"Mhmm, he's amazing." I winked.

"So, spill. I wanna hear everything!" she demanded.

So I told her about detention, about Claire and John and Andrew and Allison. I told her how much of a spaz Brian was but that he had a good heart. I told her about how Claire got John right under my nose and then I told her about the fight John and I had in the parking lot.

"The rest I told you on the phone." I finished.

"Nope, how did he ask you out?" she asked.

"Well, honestly, we got high, we danced and then we made out, and that was that." I said plainly.

"You got high?" she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, it was pretty nice. I don't plan on becoming a burner though." I assured her.

"I hope not." she shook her head.

"YOU BITCH!" someone screeched from behind me.

When I turned around I saw Claire stomping towards me. I put my bag in my locker and braced for impact.

"How dare you try to steal John from me?" she shouted and stuck her finger in my face.

"First of all, I didn't steal him, I told him to fuck off. Second, John can make his own decisions. And third, your daddy might buy you whatever you want but you can't have everything." I spat and turned away from her.

"I'm not done with you!" she snapped and grabbed my arm to try and spin me around.

I grabbed her hard and pushed her up against the wall before I took a step forward to tower over her.

"This was over the minute I took your earring out of his ear. Now get over it and back the fuck off or you're going to end up like Miranda." I growled hatefully and let her go.

"I hate you!" she cried and ran down the hall.

"I never fucking liked you in the first place!" I shouted after her.

"You better cool it before Vernon catches you." Brit warned, "I want to hang out with you this weekend, don't ruin it."

"Sorry, she just gets under my skin." I sighed.

"I'll see you at lunch, behave!" she waved and walked away to her class.

I got my books out and made my way to my first class. It took forever to get to lunch. Why did my teachers have to be so boring?

I met Brit at her locker and we walked to the cafeteria together. On the way we saw Allison and Andrew walking hand in hand. I smiled at her and she waved to me. At least someone was having a good day. When we got into the cafeteria I saw Brian at a table by himself. I motioned to Brit and we sat down next to him.

"Hey sweetheart, how was your weekend?" I winked at him. He looked up.

"Oh hey. It was nice, how was yours?"

"It was interesting. This is my best friend, Brit. Brit, this is Brian." I introduced them and they nodded to each other, "So what did you do?"

"Dad took me fishing." he said and took a sip of his milk. I had to keep myself from laughing as I remembered how Bender had mocked Brian's family.

"Did you catch anything?" I asked.

"Nope." he shook his head, "It was a pretty good time though."

"That's good." I smiled and unpacked my lunch.

Bender entered the cafeteria a moment later with Acey and Michael. They bought some food and then came to sit with us.

"Neo maxi zoom dweebie!" John laughed to Brian.

"Hey Bender." Brian chuckled to him.

Everyone made their introductions and then started to eat.

"Where's Squeaks?" I asked John.

"Dunno, he ditches a lot." he shrugged and stole a bit of my apple.

"Pig!" I laughed and nudged him.

Suddenly a cold chill went down my neck and when I touched it I realized that milk was dripping from my head. I stood up and turned around to find Claire standing there with an empty milk carton and a smirk plastered on her dumb ginger face.

"You dumb fucking cunt!" I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists. Brit shot up and ran around to hold me back.

"Settle down, she wants you to hit her." Brit mumbled into my ear.

My blood boiled as I stared back at Claire. For a moment I put myself in her shoes. If Claire had stolen John from me I would have been furious and crushed, but I wouldn't have been childish and poured milk in her hair. I couldn't let her get off scott free. Taking a deep breath, I flipped my hair back and smirked.

"I can wash this milk out of my hair, but you'll never be able to wash away that jealousy." I spat.

She gasped and groaned before she walked away. Brit let me go.

"You good now?" she asked.

"I'm fucking great." I smiled, "I'm just gonna go clean up."

Brit sat back down and I went to the restroom to wash out my hair. When I was done I dried it as best as I could, fixed my make up and walked out of the bathroom. John was waiting for me in the hallway.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think she'd take it so hard." he said.

"Not your fault. She's not used to not getting her way." I shrugged.

The bell to signal the end of lunch rang and I groaned.

"I'll come get you after school. Are you gonna be okay?" he asked.

"I'll be fine, stop worrying. I'm pretty durable." I smiled and kissed him gently. He hugged me tight.

"Alright lover, see ya later."

I watched him walk away before I made my way to my next class. Something told me that this relationship was going to involve a lot of fights and that annoyed me. But I wasn't ready to give up John Bender just yet.


	18. Chapter 18

**Just a few things before I continue. Thank you decadenceofmysoul for the lovely feedback, hope to hear more from you soon. I wasn't going to write today because I haven't been feeling well but since I can't write tomorrow because I spend Christmas eve with my grandparents I figured I'd give you guys something to hold you over until Sunday. Also, in case you didn't look this story is rated M for language, sex/nudity, violence and drug use. So if you're under 18 and reading this, reader's discretion is advised. It's only going to get dirtier from here. As always, thanks for reading and enjoy!**

 **Chapter** **Eighteen**

I walked into the art room and saw Allison sitting at a table alone. I put my stuff down and sat next to her. She squeaked. Our teacher came n and told us to work on our portraits so we pulled out our sketch books and a gentle lull of chatter filled the room.

"So what did you do to piss off Claire?" she started.

"Oh, you saw that huh? I slept with Bender." I said as I worked on the eyes of my portrait.

"Did you really?" she gasped.

"No!" I laughed, "But he did leave her for me."

"Scandalous." she whispered.

"Well, that's what she gets for trying to seduce him away from me." I shrugged and continued to sketch, "So, how was the party?"

"It was amazing." she smiled from ear to ear, "I mean, it was weird at first because I've never been to a party before, but Andrew was so nice."

"So, are you an item now?" I asked.

"Yes." she blushed.

"Are you lying?" I smirked, teasing her.

"Not this time." she laughed and we both went back to sketching.

All of the sudden a high pitched ringing sound echoed throughout the school. We all jumped and covered our ears.

"Fire!" our teacher shouted over the alarm, "Evacuate in an orderly fashion and make your way to the parking lot, quickly!"

Allison and I grabbed our bags and shuffled out of the room with the rest of the students. When we got to the parking lot Andy joined us and then I felt a pair of muscular arms wrap around my waist.

"Hey lover, miss me?" John purred and kissed my neck.

"Nope." I teased.

"Well, I missed you. That's why I pulled the fire alarm. Now we can get out of here." John smirked.

"Are you kidding me, man?" Andrew groaned.

"Oh hey sporto, didn't see you there!" John grinned before turning back to me, "So here's the deal. Let them take roll call and then we're outta here, sweet cheeks."

"Really Bender?" I rolled my eyes at him.

"Don't act like you wanna be here. This place blows." he clicked his tongue.

"You just don't want to deal with Claire anymore." I said.

"No, I just want you all to myself." he whispered into my ear and I blushed.

"Fine, whatever." I waved him off and he left to get counted with his class.

My art teacher came over and did a literal head count by tapping us all on the head, a little too hard I might add. She went down the line and then back up the line for a recount. When she was satisfied that everyone seemed to be there, we sat in the parking lot and waited for Vernon to tell us it was safe. He came out about five minutes later.

"False alarm! Everyone return to their classes!" he boomed and I poked Allison.

"You didn't see me. Catch ya later. Oh, and if you see Brit tell her I went to John's house."

"Okay, see ya." she nodded and headed back into the building with Andy.

I went against the current of the students to look for John. He was waiting by the back of the fence, leaning with his arms crossed and a devilish grin on his face.

"You're pretty dramatic, huh?" I cocked my head to the side.

"Excuse me?" he rose his eyebrow.

"Pulling all this shit just to spend some time with me. You couldn't wait two hours?" I asked and joined him by the fence.

"It was torture enough not being able to fuck your brains out yesterday. Now you want me to do something as stupid as waiting?" he sighed sarcastically.

"I'm so, so sorry, your highness!" I smirked.

"That's better! Now come on, let's get outta here."

John took my hand and we walked to his house.

The minute we sat on his bed he lit up a joint. I took out a cigarette and grabbed the ashtray.

"Why do you get high so often?" I asked and exhaled.

"'Cause I hate my life." he took a hit and blew the smoke towards me. I waved it away.

"I hate my life too but I don't get high." I took a drag of my cig, "I write instead, or listen to some good music."

"Well, I'd rather get high." he coughed and put out the joint.

"It hurts me that you're so sad inside..." I mumbled.

"I'm not sad, I'm angry." he said.

"Both translate to hurt." I said matter of factly.

"I'm not dating you for your brains." he scoffed.

"Yes you are, and for my looks and my heart and my great sense of humor." I smirked confidently. He laughed at me but his gaze was loving, "I want to make your life better."

"You already have."

He leaned over and kissed me deeply, putting his hands on my back to pull me closer. I ran my fingers through his perfect silk locks and he pushed his tongue passed my lips. He massaged my tongue with his and ran his hands up and down my back. I felt my body get hot and tingly. I wanted more but I was afraid to go further. I had never let anyone touch me before, but in that moment I trusted John and I wanted him to be the first. I grabbed his hand gently and led it to my breast. He was hesitant, but when he squeezed I moaned, causing him to moan. He laid me back on the bed and broke the kiss to lick and gently bite at my neck. I gasped in pleasure and he slowly swirled his tongue down in between my breasts. He kissed gently, but I could tell by the tenseness of his body that he was hungry for more. He pressed his pelvis to mine and when I felt the hardness of his manhood my body flushed with heat. I had never felt so good before, but I couldn't let him go any further. I wasn't ready.

"John..." I half moaned.

He stopped before he could pull my shirt down and I was disappointed but thankful.

"Yes, lover?"

"I can't, I'm sorry." I whispered, fearing he would be mad.

"Alright, no worries." he came back up and kissed my lips, "We can cuddle and watch a movie."

"Thank you." I mumbled, hating myself.

John put in a movie I've never heard of before and we laid on the pillows to snuggle. He held me close and I nuzzled into his neck. Despite the self loathing I was happy. I was truly lucky to have John as my boyfriend. I was so glad that I had taken a risk and given him a chance.


	19. Chapter 19

**Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays all! I hope everyone had a fun and lovely weekend! Enjoy!**

 **Chapter Nineteen**

The rest of the week went by without incident. I stayed in school all day during the week and made John stay as well. He didn't like it, but I didn't want him to be a bum. He didn't have to be a doctor or a lawyer, but I wasn't going to spend my future with a loser. Claire kept her distance, but she never passed up a chance to glare at me when she saw me. I pitied her, unable to deal with her feelings in a healthy way, but I suppose being spoiled hindered your ability to cope properly.

When Saturday came around, Brit, Allison and I had a girls day at the mall. It was supposed to be a fun day, but Brit gave me some food for thought on the drive there.

"Your mom called my house this morning." she started as I got in the car, "She wants you to come home."

"That's nice." I buckled up and we drove off to Allison's house.

"I know you have a good thing going with John, but she sounded really worried. And, she said your dad is sorry and he wants to talk." she sighed and turned down Allison's street.

"Yeah okay, my dad talks with his fists not his mouth. You know that." I scoffed.

"Yeah, fine." she groaned, "But can you at least think about it or call her or something? I'm sick of her calling my house!"

"Yeah, I'll consider it. But, you could also change your number or disconnect your phone or something." I laughed.

"Yeah, my dad will love that." she rolled her eyes and honked the horn.

Allison came running out dressed in her usual dark clothes and make up. I thought since it was the weekend that maybe she would wear something different, but if that's what she really liked to wear I didn't mind. She got in the car and we drove to the mall.

We got some sodas at the food court and made our way around the mall. Allison bought some make up, Brit bought a few new outfits and I bought a red bandana to tie around my boot as a tribute to my lover. He probably wouldn't notice though, he spent all day looking at my boobs. When we were done shopping we went to the arcade and I taught Allison how to play PAC-man. She loved it, and it was fun to watch her get better and better at the game. When that lost its fun we went back to the food court and got lunch.

"Sooo...time to talk about boys!" I grinned, "Brit, how's Matt?"

"Same old silly, lovable fuck as always." she smiled, "How's Johnny? You're all over each other at school. Have you done it yet?"

"I haven't been with mine for two years, so no." I shook my head.

"Brit's not a virgin?" Allison asked.

"No, but they love each other so it's okay." I winked at her and she smiled.

"You sleep with Andy yet?" Brit asked Allison.

"No, but I think he wants to. I'm just waiting for the right time." Allison blushed.

"Me too." I nodded.

"God, you guys are so boring!" Brit groaned.

"Why are you so concerned with our sex lives?" I asked.

"'Cause I'm tired of being the only one that has one! You love John, go get him!" Brit smirked.

"I don't love him." I mumbled.

"Oh, yes you do! I see how you look at him, you're over the moon for him!" Brit smacked my arm.

"Fine, fine, whatever!" I confessed, "But don't tell him that."

"Why not?" Allison asked.

"'Cause I've never loved anyone before and I'm not ready to tell him." I sighed.

"If you keep waiting until you're ready you're gonna miss out on a lot in life." Brit eyed me up.

I stared back at her for a moment, my stomach churning with indecision. She was right, of course, but I was so scared. What if I gave John my virginity and he got bored and left? What if I bared my soul to him and he didn't like what he saw? It was terrifying. But then I remembered our first walk home how he told me that I needed to trust him, and I did. So, what was left to lose?

"You know what? Fine. Fucking fine! Take me to his house, Brit!" I demanded and she giggled.

"Okay, but first you're going to need this." she pulled out a condom and stuck it in my purse, "I said get laid, not make babies."

"Oh, thank you." I rolled my eyes and we left the mall.

She dropped Allison off first and then she took me to John's house. She gave me a good luck pat on the arm before I got out and we said our goodbyes. I made my way to the back yard as she sped off.

I stopped at the kitchen window when movement caught my eye and I saw that John and his dad were engaged in a pretty brutal shouting match. They took turns throwing insults back and forth at each other before they exploded and starting yelling over each other. John's dad then ended it by sucker punching him in the jaw. John didn't go down but he looked pretty disoriented. The room went quiet as I gasped and John glared at his dad one last time before he left the room. I raced down into the basement, crying.

"John?" I whispered and made my way to his room.

"Yes, lover?" he purred back.

He was on his bed getting high. I sat down next to him and took the joint from him before setting it down on the ash tray.

"Are you okay?" I placed my hand on his cheek. It was flushed with red and a small amount of purple.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"I saw your dad punch you."

"Oh, that." he scoffed, "That was nothing. Just him being a worthless waste of space as always."

"But John-"

"I'm fine." he cut me off and picked the joint back up.

I went silent then, I didn't know what to say to him. I was so ready to confess my love to him and give him my virginity, but now all of that was ruined by his dad. How could I tell him that after what had just happened? I was so confused and disappointed. I knew the longer I waited the less likely it would happen.

"What's wrong?" John asked suddenly and put out the joint.

I looked into his Earth colored eyes and in an instant all my worry and fear melted away. There was no time like the present.

"I...I have to tell you something..."


	20. Chapter 20

**"She's only a tease if what she does gets you hot."- John Bender**

 **Chapter Twenty**

"What?" worry flooded his eyes, "What is it?"

"I...I..." I tried to push out but a lump caught in my throat.

"What? What happened?" John leaned forward and cupped my face.

"I...God damn it!" I groaned, frustrated with myself. I decided right then that it was better to show him than to tell him.

I grabbed him by his collar and pulled him to me, our lips crashing together in passion. He moaned in surprise as I slipped my tongue into his mouth. He kissed me deeply as our hands wandered. After a moment I pulled away to remove his shirt and on cue he removed mine as well. Our bare flesh pressed together and I was consumed by his heat as I began to kiss at his neck. He groaned in pleasure and gently pushed me back onto the bed before he buried his face in my breasts. He licked and sucked gently on my nipples as I moaned and tugged on his hair. He grunted lustfully and my body flushed with heat and longing. I pulled him back up to my face and kissed him hungrily as I grabbed for his fly and slid his pants down. He pulled away suddenly.

"Are...are you sure?" he asked.

"Shut up." I gasped and shimmied out of my pants and underwear.

He took a moment to look me over as I laid there naked before him. He took his index finger and softly trailed it from my neck to my hip, causing me to shiver and blush. Seeing him stare at me was starting to make me self conscious. He looked so powerful and dominant, and I felt so weak.

"Lindsay...you said you were saving it for someone that you loved..." he murmured and I almost laughed.

"Are you stupid?" I smirked and he looked at me funny, "What do you think this is? I love _you_."

His eyes widened and I saw a faint blush appear on his cheeks.

"Y-you do?" he stammered.

"Yes." I laughed though my heart was pounding with fear.

"Oh..." he whispered.

I pulled him down into another kiss and grabbed his hips to press them down onto mine. His manhood was throbbing, causing me to moan and then I remembered what Brit had given me. I didn't need a pregnancy scare ruining this. I fingered through my purse next to his bed as he kissed me. He noticed that I was distracted and pulled away.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Here." I handed him the condom, embarrassed.

"Ah..." he took it shyly before opening it, "Are you sure?"

"Yes lover! Please!" I almost begged, my body aching for him.

"Promise you'll let me know if it hurts." he demanded.

"I will, don't worry." I whispered.

He nodded and slipped on the condom before he gently parted my legs and laid down on top of me.

"I love you." he whispered and kissed me.

I returned the kiss lovingly and he slowly slid himself inside of me. I gasped in surprise more than pain and he began to gently thrust. My womanhood pulsed with pleasure and he moaned. He began to thrust a little faster and I dug my nails into his back and moaned his name. He groaned with lust and hunger and I grabbed his butt to force him deeper inside me. Our hip collided as he went all the way in and he started to thrust harder and faster. We were panting then and my body was going crazy. It was like he was taking me to a whole other world. He moaned and thrust even harder and I almost screamed, my body tensing up. And then, in all its glory, the pressure released and my body burst with pleasure. I could barely push out a moan as the release took over. I dug my nails deeper into his back as he moaned loudly, joining me in the burst of ecstasy. He buried his face in my neck and thrust slowly a few more times and then he gently pulled out. We laid there for a moment to catch our breath.

"Are you okay?" he propped himself up on his elbows.

"No, I'm pretty sure I died." I laughed.

"Why?" he asked.

"'Cause that was Heaven." I purred.

He laughed and kissed me one last time before he rolled off of me and sprawled out on the bed.

"It definitely was."

The next morning, however, was not so heavenly, for John's father came crashing down the stairs, a few beer cans tumbling down with him as he stomped.

"Jed, leave him alone!" his mom cried.

"Shut up bitch!" he howled and turned back to us, "Hey Johnny, why did I get a call saying you didn't show up for detention yesterday?"

We both jumped out of his bed and I ran into the closet to hide. His dad stomped into his room a moment later.

"Sorry dad, I forgot." John mumbled, still groggy.

"Yeah well, lemme jog your memory, retard." his father growled and grabbed him by the collar.

With great force he brought his fist around and made contact with John's face. This time he dropped to the ground and anger and adrenaline flooded my body. I had had enough.

"You son of a bitch!" I shouted and stepped out of the closet.

"Who the fuck are you?" his dad shouted back at me.

"I'm karma, coming to collect." I growled before I lunged at him, knocking him over.

I let him fucking have it, punching him in his fat, ugly mug until my knuckles went numb. Even then I didn't stop, despite him tearing at my arms to stop, but when he started to bleed John yanked me off of him so hard that he accidentally tossed me onto the floor. I sprung back up and brushed myself off.

"You ever touch him again and I will fucking murder you!" I shouted with venom, "No one's gonna miss your dumb ass!"

"Get the fuck outta my house before I call the fucking cops!" his dad howled up at me.

"My fucking pleasure, you piece of shit!" I spat and went to collect my things.

I then flung my bag over my shoulder and left through the cellar door. John was quick to follow.

"Why did you do that?"

"'Cause I couldn't take it anymore. You shouldn't have to live like that." I huffed and lit up a cigarette.

"Okay, but where are you gonna go?" he asked.

"Back to my dad's. Mom called Brit the other day and said that everything was cool. I just have to talk to him." I explained, "Will you come with me?"

"Of course, lover." he nodded and grabbed my hand.

About ten minutes later we arrived at my house. I paused on the porch, unsure if I really wanted to do this. John saw this, and I knocked on the door before he could speak. I didn't want his sympathy. My mom answered the door and once she saw it was me her face lit up.

"Lindsay!"

"Yeah, yeah, just let me in." I groaned.

"I was so worried about you!" she crushed me in a hug.

"I'm sure you were..." I patted her on the back and rolled my eyes, "Where's dad?"

"In the living room, come on." she said and led John and I inside.

"Hi dad." I said and sat on the empty couch with John. My dad clicked off the T.V. and looked at me.

"You're back." he mumbled in disbelief and then noticed the blood and scratches on my arms, "What happened to you?"

"I beat the ever loving shit outta John's dad for being an abusive piece of shit like you. And unless you wanna end up like him I suggest you keep your hands to yourself. I'm done with this shit." I warned him.

"I deserve that." he sighed and I rose my eyebrow, "Look, I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry. There's no excuse for what I did, and to prove to you that I'm serious, I quit drinking."

"Really?" I asked, unconvinced.

"Yes, I haven't touched a drop since you left. So, will you please come back home?" he asked.

"It's not like I have anywhere else to go." I said plainly.

"Great." he nodded and smiled at me before he turned to John, "You're welcomed to stay here too, as thanks for opening my eyes and taking care of my daughter."

"Thank you sir." John nodded.

"Should we go back and get your stuff?" I asked John.

"Nah, I'll dip in before school tomorrow and grab some things." he leaned over and kissed my cheek.

"Alright, come on." I grabbed his hand, "Thank you, dad."

He nodded to us and I led John to my bedroom. It seemed like everything had worked itself out. It was almost too good to be true, which meant it probably was. I was thankful to have a place to stay again, but I was still very, very skeptical. I guess truly only time would tell.


	21. Chapter 21

**Haven't gotten many reviews lately... kinda disappointed, especially since I put so much thought into that sex scene. On another note, I just uploaded them so you might not be able to see them yet, but I drew up pictures of Lindsay and Brit in their street clothes and prom clothes so you could see what they look like. I might do other fan art, I'm not sure. This is short because again I needed it to stop right at the spot, I apologize and will have more up soon. Anyways, enjoy.**

 **Chapter Twenty One**

John and I walked to school the next morning and I waited for him outside his house while he grabbed his essentials from his room. As he stepped out he flung his bag over his shoulder and held my hand with his free hand.

"So..." he said as we started walking again, "I was thinking, I think prom's are retarded but chicks dig them, so I guess I'll take you."

"Are you asking?" I smiled. He looked to me and smirked.

"Yes."

"Then yes." I squeezed his hand, "I would love to."

"Of course you would." he chuckled.

The rest of the walk was quiet and when we got to school he dropped me off by my locker. Brit was waiting for me, so John pulled me into him.

"Catch you at lunch, I love you." he whispered into my ear before he kissed my lips.

"Bye, lover. Love you too." I whispered back and he left.

When I turned around Brit was eyeing me up as usual. She was so critical.

"Hello mother." I sighed and opened my locker.

"Funny! So how was it?" she asked.

"I was amazing and perfect. Yes, I used a condom, no, I didn't suck his dick. Then in the morning I fucked up his dad, made up with my dad and now old Johnny boy lives with me." I explained all in one breath.

"Your life never used to be so interesting." Brit mumbled, slightly bored.

"I know, I'm still getting used to it." I said and slammed my locker closed.

"Well, whatever." Brit waved me off, "See you at lunch!"

"Bye!" I turned and walked off to my first class.

Brian brought some good news to lunch.

"Guys, this is Lily." he smiled and introduced us to a petite, blonde, doe-eyed girl with a sweet smile.

"Nice to meet you." Brit nodded.

"So how'd you meet?" I asked.

"She joined the physics club." Brian smiled proudly.

"Are you two lovers?" John asked and Brian blushed.

"Yes." Lily nodded shyly and grabbed Brian's hand.

"Brilliant!" I clapped once, "Welcome to the group!"

We started to eat and a moment later I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked behind me and when I saw it was Claire I instantly stood up. I wasn't going to give her another chance to fuck with me.

"What?" I snapped.

"I wanted to talk to you..." she mumbled.

"I'm listening." I crossed my arms.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry. My jealousy got the best of me. I shouldn't have done what I did." she explained.

"That's nice, props to you! But you know what's better than an apology? Not doing stupid shit in the first place." I scowled.

"I know, I said I'm sorry, and I was hoping that maybe we could try and be friends if you could forgive me..." she mumbled again.

"Sorry, gonna have to pass. You already ruined that." I spat.

"Okay..." her voice was shaky as she nodded and walked away.

"What was that about?" Brit asked as I sat back down.

"Bitch wanted to be friends." I groaned and took a sip of my soda.

"And?"

"And I said no, she can fuck off." I huffed and John gave me a sad look. I brushed it off and continued to eat.

However, I couldn't shake this bad feeling that suddenly took over. Something felt off about the conversation with Claire, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I tried to ignore it, but it wouldn't pass.

John wasn't at my locker after school. I figured he might have gotten caught up with something so I waited for a bit. He never showed. Growing impatient, I went off to find him. When I got out to the parking lot I saw him standing by a bluish silver BMW. His back was to me. When I called his name he turned around to reveal that Claire was in his arms, her lipstick smeared on both of their faces. My breath caught in my throat and I couldn't move. This was not happening. There was no way that this was real.


	22. Chapter 22

**Here's to make up for the short chapter. Don't lose faith in the story yet, I've got some interesting tid bits of drama coming up.**

 **Chapter Twenty Two**

"You son of a bitch!" I howled, rage filling my core.

"Lindsay, wait!" he reached out to me but I smacked his hand away.

"You disgusting fucking dog!" I shouted and turned quick to walk away. John ran after me.

"Lover, wait. Please! Let me explain!"

"There's nothing to explain, and don't fucking call me that!" I growled, my throat tightening.

"Lindsay, please, I'm sorry." he practically begged.

"Say what you have to say, it's not like it fucking matters!" I scoffed.

"She came to me to ask me to talk to you about you and her being friends, she felt real bad." he started.

"Oh, I'm sure she felt really God damn bad!" I spat sarcastically. He ignored my remark.

"We started talking about detention and for a moment my feelings for her came back. Before I knew it we were kissing, but it meant nothing, I swear. I'm so sorry, Lindsay, I fucked up." John explained, clearly upset.

"One small moment was all it took for you to fuck up." I said calmly, though on the inside I was falling apart, "You told me I could trust you, John, you lied. I can't trust you as long as you have any amount of feelings for her, and I can't be with you if I can't trust you."

"Are...are you breaking up with me?" he asked and I could see his heart breaking.

"Yes." I nodded and a tear trickled down my cheek. The sadness in his eyes turned to anger.

"Fine, if that's how you want it, if you really wanna throw all that we had away, you got it. We're done. I'll go be with Claire, at least she wants me." he growled and stung me with every word.

"You threw it away you bastard!" I spat at him and when I saw the smug look on Claire's face I lost it and shouted louder, "And good! I hope she likes the taste of my cunt when she's sucking your dick!"

Claire gasped in disgust as I walked away. I took no particular direction, I just knew I needed to get away. A couple of moments later, I found myself on the football field. Andy was paling around with a group of jocks, his smile lighting up the area around him. Before I knew it, I was running to him. He looked to me and caught me as I crashed into his arms. It all hit me then and I gasped for air. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't speak, I could only cry and crumple before him. Andy motioned for his friends to back off and then he squeezed me tight.

"What happened? What's wrong?" he asked slowly, trying not to be frantic.

"He cheated...we broke up...Claire stole him!" I pushed out between sobs.

"What?" Andy asked and cupped my face to make me look at him.

"He said he loved me, Andy. He lied..."

"He's really with Claire now?" he asked and I could only nod, "That prick!"

He started to get up but I pulled him back down. I took a moment to collect myself before I spoke again.

"Please don't, he's not worth it. I don't want you to lose your free ride. You're such a good wrestler, it would be a shame." I whispered, "This is what he wanted, I just have to get over it."

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked and helped me up.

"I'll be fine. Thank you for giving me a shoulder to cry on." I hugged him, "I knew in the end you were a good guy."

"Take it easy. I'm here if you need me." he hugged me back tightly.

I nodded and waved goodbye. He watched me as I left. When I got to my house Acey was parked out front in his Charger with Michael and Squeaks.

"Where's John?" Acey asked as he leaned out the window.

"He's not here, and he won't be back. He's Claire's now." I mumbled.

"Huh, is that so?" Acey paused, "Get in the car."

"What?" I rose my eyebrow.

"Just get in the car." he demanded.

I obeyed and Michael moved to the back so that I could sit in the passenger seat. Acey handed me his cigarette and sped off. He drove to the metal club and when we got out of the car I saw that Claire's dad's BMW was parked there. I panicked and tried to get back into the car but Acey stopped me.

"That's Claire's car!" I squeaked.

"Who care?" he barked and dragged me inside, "Just stick with me, female."

Michael gave me a sympathetic look as we made our way to the bar.

"Just do what he says. If shit gets dangerous, I'll stop him." Michael whispered to me.

"Four Miller Lite's, in glasses, big glasses." Acey snapped at the bartender who glared at him but coughed them up. Acey tossed him a twenty and then passed out the glasses, "Drink up, chickie."

I gave him a hesitant glance but brought the drink to my lips anyways. I sipped slowly, which annoyed him, so he tipped my glass, forcing me to chug. I almost gagged but I got it down.

"Four more!" he shouted and when the bartender produced them he handed me another full glass of beer, "This one you can sip, sweetie."

"Oh thanks." I groaned and took a swig.

It was then I noticed that John was storming over to us. I freaked out and moved closer to Michael and when Acey saw this he turned around.

"What the fuck are you doing, Ace?" John growled and Acey got right in his face.

"Fuck are you doing here, Bender? Go back to your stuck up whore. We're having a good time." Acey stood his ground.

"I'm not gonna let you get her fucked up so you can take advantage of her, man." John spat threateningly.

"Wouldn't dream of it, bud. I'm not a dick like you. Now get the fuck outta here, we're busy." Acey hummed and turned around. John tried to swing at him but Michael caught his fist to stop him and shook his head.

"I could see you fucking over all your other girlfriends 'cause they weren't worth shit, but not this one man. You fucked up bad." he sighed, disappointed, "Just get outta here."

John looked at me, his eyes filled with hurt, before he gave up and walked away. Acey pushed my drink closer to me.

"Come on now, fuck him."

I nodded and let go, knocking back my drink. After a few drinks we really started to have a good time. For the moment I felt good and I forgot about why I was hurting in the first place. I even got Michael to do a funny waltz with me to Fleetwood Mac's "Tusk" which was really fun. We just kept drinking and dancing and drinking and dancing, and after an hour or two I was beyond fucking wasted, so the boys decided to take me home. Michael helped me walk up to the back door so I could sneak him in. Since I could barely walk on my own, he carried me up to my room and laid me down on my bed. I pulled him down into an awkward drunken hug and he patted my back nervously.

"Thank you, Michael. I needed that."

"You're gonna be fine, just stay strong." he smiled before he snuck back out of my house.

Now alone, I remembered why I was upset in the first place. I had lost my first love, the first one I bared my soul to. I started to feel sick, so I pulled my blankets up to my face and curled up into a ball. It wasn't the first time I cried myself to sleep, but it was the first time I was truly in pain. I would take a thousand good punches from my dad if it meant this pain would disappear. This is exactly what I had feared. I should have never given him a chance. Clutching my pillow as hard as I could, I eventually fell asleep.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty Three**

I forced myself to go to school the next day. The walk was long and lonely, but it was better than staying home and moping. I did not want to be alone with my thoughts. When I got to my locker I explained to Brit what happened and she was furious. I told her that I was fine and that I just needed time to heal.

"He's still a fucking useless pig." she clicked her tongue.

"I know, but what can I do?" I sighed.

"Castrate him." she growled.

Before I could reply, Andrew came over to us, and by the look in his eyes I could tell that something was really bothering him.

"Hey, have you seen Allison?" he asked me.

"No, not since yesterday. Why, what's wrong?"

"This." he sighed and handed me a piece of paper. I unfolded it.

 _Andy, Time with you has been great, but I can't take this anymore. I have to go and find myself, I'm sorry. I will always love you and remember you fondly. Best wishes, Allison._

"Oh no..." I groaned quietly and Brit looked over my shoulder, "She ran away."

"She seemed fine on Saturday...I wonder what changed." Brit said.

"She talked about it a lot, but I never expected her to leave." Andy said sadly and I put my hand on his shoulder.

"I know it sucks, but try not to worry so much. After she's had some time to think I'm sure she'll be back."

"You think so?" he looked to me.

"I know so." I gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Thanks." he mumbled, "See you around."

"I'll be here if you need me." I said and he gave me a small smile before leaving.

"Wow, trouble in paradise." Brit huffed, "First you and John and now Andy and Allison? What's the world coming to?"

"Shut up." I laughed.

Michael and Acey joined us at lunch, which was kind of surprising even though they took my side in the break up. I guess I just wasn't used to people caring. They chatted politely with Lily, Brian, Brit and I as we ate and it was nice. The six of us were now a little family and I loved it.

John was sitting at the popular table with Claire and her moron friends. His back was to me, so I took a moment to look him over. His soft dark hair, his broad shoulders, his lovely back that I had scratched up when we were one, I missed them all and more. My stomach began to churn. Why didn't I just forgive him? Then he could still be mine right now. _NO!_ I cursed at myself. He just would have done it again or found another way to hurt me. It hurt so bad, but I did the right thing.

"Hey chickie." Acey interrupted my thoughts, "You gonna eat?"

"Yeah, sorry." I shoved some chips in my mouth.

I looked passed Acey to see John one more time and right at that moment Claire looked back and saw me. Our eyes locked and she smirked meanly before putting her arm around John and sticking her tongue out at me. My body burst with anger instantly and I slammed my food down.

"Sorry, Brit, I'm gonna have to cancel our plans this weekend." I growled and stood up. She followed my gaze and saw Claire.

"Don't you dare!" she warned and tried to grab me.

I smacked her hand away and stomped over to Claire. She was no longer facing me, so I grabbed her by the back of her collar and yanked her up out of her seat. Before she had time to process what was going on I socked her as hard as I could in her pretty little face. She went down and her friends screeched. I brought my fist up to strike again but someone grabbed me and tackled me to the floor.

John looked down at me with his beautiful Earth colored eyes. He had me pinned to the floor, but he wasn't mad, he seemed to be in awe. I then realized that our bodies were touching and my blood began to boil again. Taking his daze as an advantage, I slipped my wrists out of his hands and began to punch at him frantically. He grabbed at me again to try and stop me but I was too fast. I rolled on top of him and continued to hit him. For the cheating, for the lies, for the betrayal, it was all coming out now. I couldn't stop it if I wanted to.

Suddenly, someone grabbed me by the waist and yanked me off of John. I looked back to see that it was Andrew. He put my hands behind my back and forced me down to the floor before he laid himself on top of me to restrain me. No matter how much I squirmed I couldn't shake him and frustration filled me. I let out the lowest, most primal blood curdling scream. The whole room went quiet.

"What the hell is going on here?" Vernon shouted and made his way to us.

"We need to get her out of here, sir. I think she's having a break down." Andy explained and continued to hold me tight.

Vernon looked from me, to Claire and then to John before he put all of the pieces together.

"Bring her to my office, Andrew. Now!" Vernon ordered and left. Andrew brought his lips down to my ear.

"Can you be calm long enough to get to his office?" he asked.

"Yes." I said plainly, though I wasn't so sure.

Slowly, Andrew got off of me and let me go. I brushed myself off and nodded a silent thank you to him. I then looked to Bender and gave him one last hateful glare before I stormed off to Vernon's office.

When Vernon noticed me, he motioned for me to sit and I took a seat nervously.

"What the hell was that?" he asked.

"I don't know, sir. Claire stuck her tongue out at me and I lost it." I explained.

"Well, if you just hit Claire I would be suspending you." he started with a smirk and I gave him an odd look, "But you beat the piss outta Bender and that was quite a sight to see."

"I'm sorry, sir?" I rose my eyebrow.

"I'm not going to punish you, you are free to go." he smiled, "But I want you to stay away from Claire."

"Yes, sir. Thank you." I said skeptically.

He stood up and walked me out of his office.

In the rest of my classes I sat and stewed. I couldn't concentrate, I could only think about how I wanted John to hurt as much as I did. By the end of the day I had formed a plan, and I made my way to Andrew's locker. He was just getting ready to leave.

"Hey, sporto. Can we talk?"

"Yeah, what's up?" he asked.

"I have a plan to make Bender's life hell. I know Allison just left but, will you be my boyfriend?" I asked.

"What?" he was confused.

"Not for real. Just pose as my boyfriend for a little while to make him jealous. It'll be fun." I smirked, my anger still fueling me.

"Lindsay...I don't know."

"Come on, Andy. I know you wanna get back at him too for being such a douche to you. Please?" I pouted. He looked to me and it was a moment before he spoke.

"Fine, I'll help you." he rolled his eyes.

"Thank you!" I smiled and hugged him, "We'll start tomorrow, see ya!"

I felt him eye me up sadly as I left but it didn't bother me. I was too excited. Not only was I going to hurt John, but I was going to have a great time doing it. Revenge was sweet after all.


	24. Chapter 24

**Sorry the chapter's a little short. I wanted to give you guys a little treat for the holiday. Please leave me some reviews! Happy New Year!**

 **Chapter Twenty Four**

When I got home I looked Andy up in the phone book and gave him a call. We talked for a few hours about how we wanted to go about this relationship. I had tons of elaborate plans and ideas but Andy said they were too outrageous to be believable. He was right. Instead, we came up with more subtle ways to make John's skin crawl. I had to give him credit, Andy was pretty smart. He met me out in front of the school the next morning to brief me.

"I'm gonna walk you through the popular hallway. Now that John's with Claire he'll be there." he started, "You need to be confident, with your head held high. You're mine now, you belong there. Don't let any of those jerks make you feel differently."

"Alright, alright." I grinned, "You're so protective."

"I have to be, they're brutal." he mumbled and grabbed my hand, "You ready?"

"Yep." I smiled and laced my fingers with his.

He took a deep breath and then walked me into the school. We walked all the way to the back where the popular hallway was and the minute they saw Andy and I holding hands the richies and jocks lost it.

"Another one, Andy? Why do you like the weird ones?"

"He must have a fetish for mental cases."

"Wow, he really lost his standards."

"Look at her, what a whore!"

Suddenly I felt ten inches tall. Andy was right, they were brutal. He saw me start to cower and he squeezed my hand to try and encourage me. I looked to him and saw him tilt his head up to turn on the charm. I then remembered his little pep talk and flipped my hair back to show my dominance before I flashed the crowd a sexy smile. I felt like a queen, and they had no idea what to do. Thankfully, we arrived at Andy's locker soon after.

"That was pretty good, just keep acting like you own the place. You'll fit right in." he smiled and opened his locker.

I nodded and looked over his shoulder to see John hunched on the stairs with Claire in his lap and her disciples surrounding them. He put his face into her neck and murmured something and I rolled my eyes. I was ready to puke. Andy looked behind him and then back to me.

"Alright, they're in position. Ready for phase one?" he asked. I shoved my stuff into his locker before nodding.

He slammed his locker closed as hard as he could to get their attention and it worked. Without even acknowledging them, he pressed his face into my neck and slowly moved his head back and forth to make it look like he was giving me a hickey. It tickled and I almost laughed, but I quickly let out a small moan like we planned to cover it up. I looked at John out of the corner of my eye and saw that he was red in the face, his eyes locked on us. I was ecstatic. Eat your heart out, fuck boy.

"What is _she_ doing here, Andy?" Claire screeched as she stomped over to us, the clicking of her heals echoing through the hallway. John stayed behind and continued to watch us.

"She's my girlfriend." Andy didn't flinch.

"Bullshit, she doesn't belong here!" she clicked her tongue, "Besides, Vernon said she needed to stay away."

"She's mine and she's gonna go where I go. Get over it." Andy growled.

"Go back to your dog, princess." I spat. She looked at me hesitantly.

"I don't know what you're trying to pull here, but I'm going to get to the bottom of it."

Before I could come up with a witty threat, Acey and Michael started screaming at us from across the hallway as they made their way over.

"Hey Sporto!" Acey grinned and fist bumped him.

"How's it going?" Michael gave him a high five.

Their presence freaked Claire out and she ran back to John. He looked shocked to see his friends with us and then I saw the hurt behind the anger. My heart ached and for a moment I felt bad for him, but then I saw Claire kiss him and no more fucks were given. He could rot for all I cared.

"Not bad, man." Andy smiled and patted Michael on the back. He really was good at being charming.

"We just came by to see if you guys were up for coming to the club with us later?" Acey asked.

"Maybe this weekend, man. I've got a special date planned for later." Andy smirked and looked over at John before he put his arm around me and pulled me into him. John huffed with jealousy.

"Cool cool." Acey winked.

"Later, Sporto!" Michael waved him off and the two walked away.

I turned and gave Andy a hug so I could sneak a peek at John. He was beyond furious, and if it wasn't for Claire I'm sure he would have jumped up to take a swing at Andy. Poor thing.

"What a great coincidence with the guys, huh?" I whispered to Andy.

"Actually, I let them in on the plan and they loved it. They're not too happy about what he did and they're ready to make him pay." Andy whispered back with a smile, "But only Acey and Michael know. They said Squeaks has a big mouth and would ruin everything, so don't tell him."

"That's great!" I beamed.

"I know, now come on. Class is about to start." he nudged me.

We turned to leave and Andy slid his hand in my back pocket as we walked away. I could feel John glaring daggers into the back of our heads and I smirked. Phase one was a success.


	25. Chapter 25

**Thank you SecondStar1111 for the uplifting review. I'm glad you enjoyed it, this one is for you :)**

 **Chapter Twenty Five**

At lunch, we explained our plan to Brit, Brian and Lily. They were skeptical, but they understood. Thankfully, Squeaks wasn't there so I didn't have to worry about his big mouth.

"I think it's evil." Brit smirked, "What do you plan to accomplish with this?"

"I just want him to hurt." I shrugged.

"Oh, he's hurting. He hasn't taken his eyes off of you this whole time." Brit laughed and pointed behind me.

"Good." I smiled without looking back and scooted closer to Andy. He put his arm around me.

"Is this really necessary?" Brian asked.

"Is anything really necessary?" Andrew answered.

"Fine." Brian rolled his eyes.

"You've never had your heart broken." Lily piped up, "You wouldn't understand."

Brian nodded and Brit took over the conversation.

"So, let's talk prom."

"Shit, I almost forgot about prom. Andy, what are we gonna do?" I asked him.

"Go, of course, and have the time of our lives." he smiled in a way that almost made me swoon, but I quickly pushed that thought away.

"Okay, so we're going-"

"Not me." Acey and Michael said together, interrupting Brit.

"Okay, so all the _couples_ are going." Brit brushed them off, "Now we just have to get clothes."

"I call green." I said quickly.

"I want blue." Lily mumbled.

"Good, 'cause I want pink." Brit smiled, "We'll go dress shopping on Saturday, provided Lindsay keeps her ass in check."

"I promise." I held up my hand to swear it before I turned to Andy, "Do you want to come? Do you need a suit?"

"I got my dad's suit, and I got a meet on Saturday. Sorry." he mumbled.

"It's alright." I brushed my hand down his cheek gently. He blushed.

"Alright, so big Bri, Lily, Matt, you and I will go shopping." Brit nodded.

"Tell them, Brian." Lily nudged him.

"I don't want to sound weird." Brian mumbled.

"Tell us what?" I asked.

"Well, my mom said I could have some friends stay over on Saturday since we're graduating. So I was thinking of inviting everyone from detention. You too Brit, if you want." he explained.

"Sorry, Matt and I have plans for that night." Brit said.

"Everyone from detention?" Andy asked.

"So John and Claire too..." I groaned.

"Yeah, well I mean, I still get along with John, so. I'm sorry, I just wanna be like, fair." Brian explained nervously.

"It's okay, don't worry about it. We'll be there." Andy smiled, but I was dreading it.

The bell signaling the end of lunch rang and we all stood up and separated.

"Ready for our date later?" Andy asked me.

"I though you just made that up?" I looked to him, puzzled.

"Nah, it's phase two. I'll meet you at your locker after school." he leaned down and gently kissed my cheek.

"Okay, bye..." I almost whispered as I watched him walk away. John pushed me to the side with his shoulder as he left and I groaned. What a fucking asshole.

Our surprise date turned out to be the local pizza parlor. Andy ordered us a pepperoni pizza, some bread sticks and two sodas. We sat in a corner booth by the window. It was pretty empty and I was confused as to why we were here. Not that I minded the free food, I just hoped Andy wasn't taking this relationship the wrong way. Andrew noticed the look on my face.

"It's Wednesday. Every Wednesday Claire comes here with her friends so Bender will be coming too. If they didn't believe we were dating before they will now." Andy said and started to eat his pizza.

"Great." I mumbled and began to munch on a bread stick.

"Any minute now, get ready to turn on the theatrics." He wiped his mouth on his sleeve.

On cue, Claire entered the parlor with John, her friends and a few jocks I've seen around before. John looked at Andy and then to me. For a moment he looked sad, but it quickly turned into frustration. He turned away from us and ordered food with the group. When they got their food they all sat at a big group of tables not too far from us. Claire scowled at me and Andrew put his hand on mine.

"Don't play into it. We need to look like we're having a good time."

"What do you want me to do?" I asked.

"I don't know. Smile, laugh, something." he shrugged.

"I can't just laugh on cue." I said.

"Okay, I'll tell you a joke then. Uh..." he took a moment to think, "Oh! I got one! Who was the roundest knight at the round table?"

"Who?"

"Circumference." he smiled.

"Oh, Andy, that's terrible!" I slapped his arm but laughed regardless.

"It worked though!" he started to laugh too.

"Fair enough." I giggled and took a sip of my soda before I grimaced,"Ew, is this diet?"

"Yeah, I thought all girls liked diet?" he rose his eyebrow.

"Nooo." I shook my head, "I'll be right back."

I went to the counter to get a regular soda. John approached me as I waited. I wouldn't face him so he grabbed my shoulder and spun me around.

"What are you doing here?" he growled.

"Spending some time with my boyfriend. What do you care?" I spat.

"He's not your boyfriend. This is a joke!" he scowled.

"What's a joke is that you still think I give a single fuck about what you think." I snapped and grabbed my new soda, "Get over yourself, Bender. I already did."

He pounded his fist on the counter as I sat back down by Andy. He put his arm around me and I instinctively went to kiss him. His face turned beet red and he turned so that I ended up kissing his cheek instead. I pulled away quickly.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." I began to blush as well.

"It's all good." he mumbled, embarrassed.

When we finished eating Andrew walked me home. It was a relatively quiet walk and the more we tried to make small talk the more awkward it got. We couldn't get to my house fast enough. When we finally got on my front porch I turned to him.

"You know, Andy, if you don't wanna do this you don't have to."

"I do, just... I wasn't ready for that kiss is all..." he mumbled and looked at his feet, "I didn't want to mess it up in front of them."

"Do you want to...practice?" I asked. He looked up at me in shock.

"I...guess?" he laughed nervously.

We moved a little closer and slowly we brought our lips together. It was short and sweet, but it was nice. When we pulled apart both of our cheeks were bright red.

"T-there, I think we got it down." he stuttered.

"Yeah." I nodded awkwardly.

"So, goodnight!" he did a little wave and jogged down the stairs.

"Night!" I waved weakly and retreated into my house.

I closed the door and leaned up against it to take a deep breath. I thought because it was Andy that this would be no big deal, but maybe I was wrong. Maybe I could just be with him and stop worrying about John. He was kind and goal oriented and- no, that was ridiculous. We were too different, and I could never love someone more that I had loved John.

Could I?


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty Six**

Things were a little awkward for us for the rest of the week, but we brushed it off as best as we could and went on with our plan. Claire was still suspicious and Bender was trying to make it seem like he didn't care, but deep down I knew that he did. I was getting less and less worried about John, however, and it made me feel uneasy. Was I really getting over him?

Brit picked me up on Saturday morning with her boyfriend Matt. We were going to meet Brian and Lily at the mall and then go sleep over at Brian's when we were done shopping.

"Do you have enough for an outfit?" Brit asked.

"I wish you wouldn't do that. And yes I do. Dad's got a lot more money now that he stopped drinking." I mumbled.

"I just don't want you to miss out." Brit clicked her tongue.

"I'm fine, mom." I winked.

She laughed me off and pulled into the mall parking lot. Brian and Lily were waiting for us by the door. We greeted each other and walked inside the mall to find a dress store. We settled on a nice little boutique and we separated, boy in the back for suits and girls in the front for dresses. Brit went straight to the higher end pink dresses and I went to help her pick out the best one.

"I want sexy but classy." she said as she skimmed through the dresses, "Stylish but unique."

"Yes, doll." I smiled and helped her search.

In the end we decided on a sequined pink knee length dress with poofy sleeves and a sweetheart neckline. It fit her perfectly and she stole the show. I was so happy for her.

Lily came out in a floor length, sky blue dress with a V shaped neckline and frilly pastel blue sleeves and trim. With her pale skin and platinum blonde hair she looked like a princess.

Now it was my turn and I dreaded it. I was so picky with clothes and I barely ever wore dresses. I didn't even know where to start, except that I wanted green. Brit brought me dress after dress after dress but they were either too poofy, too short or too expensive. I was starting to lose hope, until Lily surprised me. The dress was almost ankle length, strapless with a sweetheart neckline. It was form fitting and had a pretty bow on the hip. Most importantly, it was a beautiful forest green. It was exactly what I had wanted.

"You're an angel, Lily!" I smiled and hugged the dress.

"You're welcome." she smiled shyly.

We stayed at the store a little while longer to find matching shoes and jewelry before the boys came and showed us their suits. Matt chose a black suit and tie with a pink vest to match Brit. Brian chose a mild grey suit and vest with a blue tie to match Lily. Noticing the subtle tribute to their ladies, I bought Andrew a green tie to match my dress. I didn't expect him to wear it, but I wanted him to have the option. When we finished paying for everything we left the mall.

"So, are you riding back with us?" Brian asked me.

"Actually...I have one more stop to make. I'll be at your place around supper." I said.

"Alright, later." Brian waved with Lily. I waved back and got into Brit's car.

"What are you doing in my car?" she gave me a puzzled look.

"Andy's meet's still going on. Can you drop me off so I can surprise him?" I asked and she chuckled.

"I knew this wasn't pretend!"

"Oh shut up!" I groaned as she drove off.

She dropped me off at the school and we said our goodbyes before I made my way to the gym. It was packed. I accepted the fact that I wasn't going to find a seat and leaned up against the wall near the door. Andrew was engaged in a match and although he struggled to start he was dominating by the end. I started to cheer for him but it was so loud he didn't notice. Once he got the other guy in a hold he didn't have a chance. The ref counted down and Andrew was declared the winner. The gym echoed with cheers, almost making me deaf, and after Andrew's match the meet ended and the athletes retreated into the locker room. The crowd started to disperse and I made my way to the locker room door to wait for Andy.

Boy after boy left the locker room, bags and jackets in hand, but none of them were Andy. After twenty minutes of waiting I decided to go and find him myself. I entered the locker room cautiously, making sure that I didn't catch anyone naked, but the room was empty. I looked around a little more but found no one. Then, I heard the pitter patter of the shower going and someone humming. It had to be Andy. For a second I considered surprising him in the shower, but I decided against it. Instead I took a seat on one of the benches in between the lockers and waited.

About five minutes later, Andy walked out with a towel around his waist. He was drying his hair with another towel as he walked and I got a nice look at his chizzled body before he spotted me and jumped.

"Jesus Christ!" he almost shouted, "What are you doing in here?"

"Just wanted to congratulate you on your match" I giggled.

"Oh...well thanks." he blushed, "Wait, you came to my meet?"

"Yeah, we finished shopping just in time for me to come and cheer you on." I started to blush nervously, "I-I also got you a gift."

I reached down into my purse and pulled out his tie before handing it to him. He ran it through his fingers and smiled.

"Thanks."

"It's the least I can do since you've been helping me." I grinned.

"Anytime." he laughed, "Now let me get dressed so we can go to Brian's!"

"Okay, damn, geez! I'm going!" I giggled and got up to leave.

"Wait." he said suddenly and I turned back to face him, "One more practice kiss?"

My face turned candy apple red but I shook it off before stepping over to him and nodding. He smiled and cupped my face before he brought his lips to mine. My stomach filled with butterflies and after a moment he pulled away before he looked into my eyes. He looked happy and then his smile slowly faded.

"I...I'll be out soon." he whispered.

"Alright, I'll be waiting." I said quietly.

He kissed my cheek before I left the locker room and sat on the floor to breathe. What the hell was going on here?


	27. Chapter 27

**Getting down to the wire here. Any reviews would be appreciated, such as "this is good/bad because..." I will take bad reviews, anything, I just need to know how my writing is doing because this was supposed to be a practice for me. A break from my fiction writing. I know I sound like a broken record but I'm not doing this for likes or attention, I would just really like some feedback. Thank you and enjoy.**

 **Chapter Twenty Seven**

We were the last of the breakfast club to arrive at the party. Brian answered the door and led us to his finished basement where the others were chatting and snacking. They stopped as they saw us and we took a seat on the floor. I sat on Andy's lap so my ass wouldn't get sore later. He didn't seem to mind. Brian's mom came down and stood on the last step.

"Is this everybody?" she asked.

"Yes, mom." Brian mumbled.

"Alright, here's the rules. This isn't going to be like a frat house. No drugs, no alcohol and especially no sex. Also, please keep things at a reasonable volume. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am." we all said in unison.

"Good. There's plenty more snacks up here if you get hungry. Have fun." she smiled and went back upstairs.

"She seems nice." I said to Brian.

"She is, she's just really strict." he chuckled.

"So what's the plan, dweebie?" John asked.

"I-I don't know really. I got some cards and some board games. I just wanted to hang out." Brian said quietly.

"Let's play some Go Fish." Andy suggested.

"Sure, I'll play." I said and got off of Andy's lap before smirking, "Can't let you cheat."

"Yeah okay, whatever." John agreed and put his arm around Claire as she rested against him.

Lily shuffled and dealt the cards and we played a few games. Brian won most of them, but after a half hour we were starting to get bored. Bender chucked his cards into the pile and groaned.

"What else you got?"

"We could play truth or dare!" Claire flashed a smile.

"Yeah, why not?" Brian shrugged.

"Alright, I'll go first." she started, "Andy, truth or dare?"

"Truth." Andy smiled.

"Are you two _really_ dating?" she asked.

"Dare." Andrew changed his mind.

"Nope, answer the question." Bender prodded.

"Yes, we are. Can you fucking get over it?" Andrew growled.

"Hey now guys, let's just play the game." Brian tried to calm them down, "Your turn, Andy."

"Truth or dare, Bender?" Andy gritted his teeth.

"Truth." Bender mocked him.

"Is it true that your mom will take it in the ass for a quarter?" Andy laughed and John stood up.

"Back the fuck up." I stood to block Andy from John, "Both of you knock it off, you're ruining the party!"

"Fine, sorry Brian." Andy mumbled to him.

"My condolences, dweebie." John nodded and sat back down.

"It's cool guys. I know there's tension between you, but I thought if we hung out we could all be friends again. That day in detention was one of the best." Brian smiled fondly.

"It was." I grinned and everyone else nodded in agreement, "Alright, back to the game, Bender."

"Okay. Lindsay, truth or dare?" he asked me slyly.

"Umm...dare." I said bravely.

"I dare you to...put your boobs in Brian's face." he chuckled.

I looked over to Lily expecting her to be angry but she was laughing along with him. When she noticed me staring at her she laughed more.

"It's just a game." she giggled, "Do it."

I shrugged and crawled over to Brian before pushing his face into my cleavage. He pulled away quickly and blushed like crazy but soon he was laughing too.

"Christ, you could suffocate someone with those!"

"They are pretty amazing." I squeezed my boobs and laughed, "Claire, truth or dare?"

"Dare." she said, not about to be out done.

"I dare you..." I paused to think, "To...ha! I dare you to lick Bender's toes!"

"Ugh, disgusting!" she groaned.

"You gotta do it!" Andy laughed.

Bender rolled his eyes and kicked off his sock and Claire slowly bent down to barely touch the tip of her tongue to his big toe. She pulled back fast and gagged and we all howled with laughter. She started to laugh too, eventually. Bender put his sock back on and I leaned up against Andy.

"Lily, truth or dare?" Claire asked.

"Truth." she said timidly.

"Are you in love with Brian?"

"Yes." she nodded and her face turned red.

"AWW!" we all cooed and Brian kissed her gently. It was adorable.

We went around the room a few more times but eventually that game ran its course too. We sat around for a little bit and tried to think of something to do next.

"Gods, I don't know." I groaned and sat back in Andy's lap.

"Your ma already banned all the fun stuff." Bender shrugged.

"Come on guys, there's gotta be something." Brian sighed.

"We can play never have I ever?" Lily suggested, "I'll go first. Never have I ever...had sex."

John, Andy and I all raised our hands and I was surprised. I figured John would have gotten Claire's pants off already. Bender looked at Andy and I shocked. Since both our hands were raised I think he assumed that we did it together, but it was just a happy coincidence. I laughed and we put our hands down.

"Alright, I'll go." Brian started, "Never have I ever...cheated on a test."

Claire, John and Andy raised their hands.

"You're naughty." I giggled at Andy. He smiled and Claire took her turn.

"Never have I ever...been in love." she said sadly.

Brian, Lily and I rose our hands. Slowly, John rose his hand as well and we looked to each other. Our expressions were sad, but in that short moment it felt like everything between us was okay. I hoped he was thinking of me when he raised his hand. I didn't want to be forgotten that easily, but something told me I didn't have to worry. We put our hands down and kept going around the circle.

We stayed up until about one in the morning, chatting, snacking and playing different card games. When we were all tired we changed into our pajamas and claimed spots to sleep. There were only two couches so Andy and I decided to sleep on the floor since neither of us minded. Brian turned off the lights and the room went quiet as I nuzzled up to Andy. About half an hour later, Andrew nuzzled into my neck.

"Are you still awake?" he whispered.

"Yeah." I whispered back.

"Can we talk?" he asked.

"What's up?" I murmured and turned to face him.

"I just...I don't want to pretend to be dating anymore." he said.

"Oh..." I sighed, "Okay, then we'll stage a breakup tomorrow."

"No, no. What I mean is..." he took a deep breath and exhaled in frustration, "I mean...I want to be with you for real."

"Oh Andy!" I gasped in a hushed tone, "I don't know..."

"Why not?" he asked, hurt.

"Andrew, you're amazing. I'm just terrified..."

"Not everyone is going to hurt you like Bender." he said.

"I know...I just..." I sighed and laid on my back to look at the ceiling.

"Could you at least consider it?" he asked and I looked back to him.

"Yes, I promise. I will think hard about it." I placed my hand gently on his cheek, "I really like you, just...give me time."

"Okay." he said and leaned down to kiss me.

I kissed him back and when we parted I laid my head on his chest and he held me. He fell asleep soon after that but I was wide awake. I wouldn't mind being with Andy, I bet it could even be an amazing relationship if we gave it a shot, but I didn't know if I could just let go of John. I truly loved him, he was my dream. How could I just forget that? Frustrated, I closed my eyes and forced myself to go to sleep.


	28. Chapter 28

**Thank you SecondStar1111 for the lovely review. I'm glad you're just as fond of the main couple as I am, but I'm sorry, you'll just have to wait and see ;)**

 **Chapter Twenty Eight**

On Monday I expected Brit to be waiting for me by my locker, but she wasn't. Instead, John was leaning up against it, a cocky look on his face. I walked over to him hesitantly and when he saw me he stood up straight.

"What do you want?" I asked, suspicious.

"We need to talk." he said.

"No, we don't. Now move." I growled and tried to push him out of the way but he wouldn't budge.

"Yes, we do. I heard you and Andrew at the sleep over." he said and put his hand on my locker so I couldn't open it.

"So sorry, I didn't mean for our love making to get so loud." I scoffed and pushed his hand away.

"Very funny." he rolled his eyes, "I know you're just pretending to date sporto to piss me off."

"Oh, is that so?" I grinned and opened my locker to put my bag away.

"Would you just cut the crap and listen to me?" he snapped and slammed my locker shut.

"I doubt you have anything worth saying." I turned to him and crossed my arms.

"You did what you set out to do. You hurt me, but I've been hurting since the day we broke up. You win. I'm sorry. Now can we please put this behind us and get back together already?" he asked.

"I don't think your girlfriend would like that very much." I mocked him.

"I will go over there and punch her right in the fucking face if that's what it takes to prove to you that I don't like her anymore." he groaned, "I was only with her to piss you off. I could give two shit about her."

"No, John." I mumbled.

"No?" he was frustrated.

"No. I can't. You tore me apart. I can't trust you." I whispered, my breath catching in my throat.

"Lindsay, please, I will do whatever it takes to fix this. I swear, I love you." he reached down to cup my face in his hands.

His touch warmed my body and I looked up into his Earth colored eyes. Memories flooded into me; detention, our first walk home, the first night at the club, our first kiss, our first time making love. This man had given me the world, but in an instant he also took the world from me. The best part of me died when we broke up, and now he was asking me to rebuild and risk it all over again? I couldn't. I just couldn't do it. Tears began to spill down my cheeks and I felt like I was going to puke.

"I love you more than anything in this world, John." I reached up to place my hand on his, "But I can't. I can't risk having my heart broken, not again."

"Lindsay-"

"Please, just go!" I cried and pulled his hands off of my face.

He looked at me in shock before his face filled with hurt and he stomped away. My stomach clenched and I dropped to my knees to sob. It felt just as bad as when we first broke up, perhaps even more now that I saw how truly hurt he was. I hated myself then, but I could do nothing but sit and cry. I let my world go.

Suddenly, someone bent down and held me. I didn't even bother looking, I just squeezed them back and cried. They brushed the hair out of my face so they could see me. I glanced up to see Brit.

"What happened?" she asked.

"I don't want to be here anymore." I said between sobs.

"I'm not going to let you kill yourself. What happened?" she tried again.

"I don't want to kill myself, I want to get out of here!" I said louder.

"Alright, okay!" she said and helped me get off of the floor, "Let's go then."

Just when she picked me up, Andrew appeared. He saw her holding me and that I was crying and he started to freak out.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know, she won't tell me. She just wants to get out of here." Brit explained but that wasn't good enough for him.

"What happened?" Andy demanded, "Was it Bender?"

I let go of Brit to gently hug him.

"It doesn't matter, I'll be fine. I just need to get out of here for a little bit." I said quietly.

"Lindsay-"

"I'll handle it. Just relax, okay?" I said sternly, "I'll catch up with you later."

I walked away before he could say anything else and Brit followed me. We went out to the parking lot and got into her car. We said nothing and she drove off. About ten minutes later we parked by the river and got out. Still saying nothing, we walked to the bank and found rocks to sit on. I pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Exhaling slowly, I watched the smoke roll over the water.

"Can you talk now?" Brit interrupted my serenity.

"Probably could, doesn't mean I want to." I said, not intending to sound so mean, but in that moment I was numb.

"You can't just keep holding this stuff in. Let it out." she prodded.

"John wants to get back together." I took a drag and exhaled again.

"And?"

"And I told him no." I said plainly.

"Because?" she kept going and I glared at her.

"Because he's a jerk. Because I can't fucking trust him, not as long as that prude is around! Because Andrew asked me out and I don't want to hurt him! Because I don't know what to fucking do!" I almost shouted.

"There we go." Brit nodded and paused, "Do you love him?"

"Who?"

"John, dummy." she chuckled and I turned to stare back at the water.

"Yes...I really do." I mumbled as I exhaled.

"Then you need to go to him." Brit pushed.

"Not a fucking chance!" I snapped.

"Listen to me!" she snapped back and I closed my mouth, "There is no love without pain, there is no love without trials and there is no perfection in love. If you truly love him, you need to fight through these trials with him. That's what real love is."

I looked at her thoughtfully before I chucked the rest of my smoke into the river. I knew she was right, but I was stubborn. I would not go to him. I needed to figure out exactly what to do with John and Andy. In the end one of them was going to get hurt, and I needed to make sure it was worth it.


	29. Chapter 29

**Thank you SecondStar1111, the wait is over. I want to dedicate the Ghostbuster Song part to my son, who is obsessed with the Ghostbusters. Also, I am aware that As The World Falls Down was not written until 1987, but I don't care. It fits and its the song that the book was written around. If you listen to the song when it is mentioned in the story, it brings everything together beautifully. It was written by David Bowie and was written for Jim Henson's the Labyrinth if you have trouble finding it on youtube. Enjoy.**

 **Chapter Twenty Nine**

On Saturday, I was at Brit's house getting ready for prom. Brit was already dressed and I helped her do her hair and make up, but I was more sluggish. A part of me didn't want to go. Brit sat me down in her chair and started to work on my hair.

"Cheer up, you love to dance." she said as she started to straighten my hair.

"Yeah well...whatever." I mumbled, void of a witty comeback.

"Are you still going with Andy?" she asked.

"Yeah, he'll be here to ride with us in about an hour." I said.

"Have you thought it over?"

"No, I've been avoiding it." I sighed.

"That's not good. You can't leave him hanging." she rolled her eyes.

"God damn it, I know. I just don't know if I can be with him."

"'Cause you love Johhhnnnyyy!" she sang to mock me and I groaned.

"It's not that simple."

"It is! It was just a kiss, he doesn't care about her, he's sorry and he loves you. Just forgive him!" she huffed and moved to do my make up.

"But Andy-"

"Yeah, he helped you, so what? That doesn't mean you have to marry him. This is the free world." she snapped.

"It's easy to say when you're a non biased third party." I mumbled.

"Oh, I'm totally biased. John is your man." she clicked her tongue and I laughed.

"We'll see."

Matt and Andrew arrived a little after we were done getting ready. Matt walked over to Brit to kissed her sweetly and I smiled. They were so perfect together. He pulled out a corsage made of pink ribbon and an pink rose and slipped it onto her wrist. She swooned and thanked him with another kiss. This was how a relationship was supposed to be.

Andy came over to me and handed me a golden box. I looked to him, puzzled, before I gently opened the box and saw a corsage made out of glittery green ribbon and white tulips.

"Oh Andrew!" I gasped, "It's beautiful!"

"Brit said you liked tulips." he smiled proudly.

"I love them, thank you!" I beamed and hugged him.

He hugged me back tight before we parted and I let him slide the corsage onto my wrist. I looked it over as the ribbon gleamed in the sunlight. It was one of the most thoughtful gifts anyone has ever gotten me.

"Alright, come on. We're gonna be late!" Brit laughed and pushed us all out of the house.

We piled into Brit's car and I rested my head on Andy's shoulder as we drove off. For now, everything was okay.

This year's prom was in the dance hall of the Hilton hotel. It was decorated Vegas style and the school went over the top with it. There were glittering streamers and balloons, colored spotlights and a giant disco ball. The back drop for the photo booth was a spilled deck of playing cards and a black and red balloon arch. The food table had pretty much every snack you could think of and was decorated with loose poker chips. The room was stunning, and I started to get excited. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after all. Andy linked his arm with mine and escorted me over to the snack table to get some punch. He poured each of us a cup and we clinked our glasses together before downing them.

"Hey now, let's go! Time to dance!" Brit yanked us away from the table and we dropped our glasses.

The DJ started with Def Leppards "Pour Some Sugar On Me" and I swung my hips to the music with Brit, losing myself in the song. I noticed that Andrew wasn't really dancing, so I pushed my hips up against him and lead him to the beat so he'd loosen up a bit. He was shy at first but eventually he started to get wild like us.

As I was dancing, I noticed John sitting in the corner at a table with Claire, half halfheartedly sipping on some punch. Both of them looked bored and I was confused. Why did they come to prom if they weren't going to dance? I then realized that John probably didn't want to come and was dragged here by Claire to keep up her image. A twinge of guilt made itself at home in my stomach. If I could just go to him...

The Ghostbuster's theme song started to blare from the speakers and Andy pulled me back to dance with him. I shook off the negative feelings and began to swing my arms and shimmy to the song. Andy followed suit and soon we were all dancing like idiots without a care in the world. For that moment, John left my mind.

A slow song came on that I didn't recognize and Andy pulled me close to him so we could do a lazy version of the waltz. I rested my head on his chest and swayed with him, and although this would be romantic to most it didn't feel right to me. The song played for a little bit before he leaned back to look at me.

"So...have you given things some thought?" he asked hopefully.

"Yeah...I-" I looked up to answer him, but he was no longer looking at me.

His face was pale and frozen as he stared off behind me. I turned to see what the problem was and when I did my face went pale with shock too. Allison was standing in the doorway alone, looking like a Goddess in a floor length black gown and silver jewelry. I gasped and ran to her, crushing her in a hug.

"Allison! I was so worried about you!" I cried, and then I noticed that she was still staring back at Andrew, "Oh God...Allison. I swear, nothing was going on between us. We were pretending to date to make Bender jealous and-"

"Lindsay." she cut me off and smiled, "I'm not mad. I never planned on coming back, I wanted him to get over me. And whether or not it was real I'd rather have him be with you than some loser."

"Allison...there might have been some misplaced feelings, but I know he still loves you. You should go to him." I said kindly.

"I don't know if I can...what if he's mad?" she quivered.

"I wouldn't worry about it. Take it from someone who's loved and lost, you don't want to let him go." I said and gently grabbed her hand, "Come on."

She let me lead her to him and when we got to him I placed her hands on his. Both of them blushed and smiled, entranced by each others presence. Slowly, I backed away to let them have their moment, and as their lips collided my heart stung. I backed away to a different part of the dance floor. I was alone now.

David Bowie's "As the World Falls Down" began to play and I felt like crying. The most romantic song was playing the very moment that I had no one. I turned to retreat but I slammed into someone's chest. I looked up to see John, his hand outstretched to me. My heart almost stopped.

"May I have this dance?" he asked.

A tear trickled down my cheek as I stared back at him. He looked right through me with those beautiful eyes of his and my heart began to ache. It was then and there that I realized that our breakup, though it hurt, was absolutely stupid, and I had no more excuses left to push back. I loved him, I wanted him, and I could have him for an eternity if I just let him back in.

"Yes." I sniffled and placed my hand in his.

Skipping all formalities, he pulled me into him as close as he possibly could and we wrapped our arms around each other. I sobbed into his shoulder and he held me tight.

"Oh, lover..." he purred.

"I'm so sorry, I over reacted and-"

"Now now, dear." he hushed and placed his hand on the back of my head, "There's no need, I'm here. Everything is okay."

"I love you, John." I whispered as I looked up at him. He smiled at me, a faint blush on his cheeks.

"I love you too." he murmured.

Our lips crashed together and I was filled with bliss. I parted my lips to let him slide his tongue inside and I pulled him closer. He massaged my tongue with his and we ran our fingers through each others hair. It was perfect, this is what I had been missing, what I had been yearning for. This felt right, this _was_ right. My world had come back to me.

"So." John smirked as he pulled away, "Shall we get a hotel room?"

"You pig!" I laughed and playfully slapped his arm, "Yes!"

He laughed with me and pulled me into another kiss. We continued to slow dance together, even long after the slow song had stopped. Nothing else had mattered then. We were right where we were supposed to be, and I wouldn't have had it any other way.

 **The end. I will be posting an epilogue tomorrow at the latest but otherwise their story is done. I am sad that it is over but I had a lot of fun writing it and immersing myself in their world. I hope you had just as much fun as I did and that you truly enjoyed the story. Thank you for taking the time out of your days to read this and even give some feedback. I will cherish the journey.**


	30. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"Mr. John Bender." Mr. Vernon called from the podium.

John followed behind the line of students before him and went onto the stage to accept his diploma. He shook Mr. Vernon's hand proudly and smiled and even Vernon couldn't help but smile. No one thought he would make it this far. I was so proud of him.

Andrew, Brit, Lily and Brian all shuffled along with the line as John returned to his seat. He winked back at me and I waved. They all accepted their diplomas with grace and the next line was called.

"Miss Lindsay Jordison." Vernon smiled and I led my line with Allison, "Congratulations."

"Thank you, sir." I shook his hand firmly and accepted my diploma. John howled and whistled from his seat. I couldn't help but laugh.

I waited for Allison to get hers and we walked back to our seats together. Claire was one of the last to get her diploma, but none of us really paid attention to her.

When the ceremony was over, John came to find me and we kissed sweetly before we removed our caps with the room and tossed them into the air, cheering. We did it, high school was over.

"So." John pulled me into his arms and held me, "What next, lover?"

"I don't care, as long as I'm with you." I giggled.

"Sounds good to me." he smiled.

He leaned down to kiss me and the world melted away around me. I had my lover and thanks to my grades I could do whatever I pleased with my life. The world was our oyster and we were ready to take it. Hand in hand, we left the school, our fists held high in the air in victory.

 _Dear Mr. Vernon,_

 _We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it is that we did wrong. But we think you're crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us as you want to see us: in the simplest terms and the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain, and an athlete, and a basket case, a princess, a criminal and a lover. Does that answer your question?_

 _Sincerely, The Breakfast Club_

Brian and Lily stayed together and are now attending Harvard University to study physics. They are among the top in their class.

Brit and Matt married a year after graduation and moved to Tennessee to start a family.

Claire went to France to study abroad.

Andrew and Allison stayed together and are now attending the Illinois State University. Andrew got a full scholarship and is studying general academics while he wrestles and Allison is studying art.

John and I stayed in Shermer Illinois and enrolled in Shermer community college. I'm studying business and John decided to study philosophy. We are still just as in love as the day we met.

And we all lived happily ever after, mostly.

 **The End... _maybe?_**

 **Thank you for taking the time to read my story. I am grateful for all of you who have read and I hope that you all enjoyed the story. However, I'm not ready to let go of these characters quite yet. I have some plans for them and may do a sequel if the readers demand it. I will start writing immediately if I get between five and ten good reviews. Give me some motivation! I don't want to write if there's no one to read. Also, as a bonus, included below is the soundtrack to this fan fic, both included in the story and what I listened to to inspire me. Farewell for now, I hope we meet again in my next writing journey.  
**

 **David Bowie**

 _Golden Years  
_

 _The Man Who Sold The World_

 _As The World Falls Down_

 _Fame_

 **Def Leppard**

Rocket

Foolin'

Pour Some Sugar On Me

Hysteria

Bringing On The Heartbreak

Photograph

 **Stevie Nicks/Fleetwood Mac**

 _Crystal_

 _Tusk_

 **Simple Minds**

 _Don't You Forget About Me  
_

 **Ray Parker Jr.**

 _Ghostbuster's Theme Song_


End file.
